Love and MatchMaking in the Mountains
by Silvan Arrow
Summary: Bryan has a crush on Tala's twin sister but just can't admit it, so the Blitzkrieg Boys and the Bladebreakers hatch a plan to get them together. BryanOC, TalaOC, KaiOC, and more... Yes, it is FINALLY COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Trouble at Home

Love and Match-Making in the Mountains

Silvan Arrow: Hey, guess who's back with another story? Yep, it's Silvan Arrow! I've wanted to start this for a while. Here's the sequel to O Sister, Where Art Thou that I promised where we finally get to see Bryan and Tammy get together. Of course, this won't be an easy task. I mean, come on, this is Bryan we're talking about. The Blitzkrieg Boys are gonna need some help, and who better to assist in this endeavor than the Bladebreakers! Oh the horror… Now, in honor of starting a new story, I would like to do something special.

Tammy: Really? What?

Michelle: Oh no… Wait for it…

Silvan Arrow: -points- One of YOU gets to do the disclaimer!

Michelle: I knew it! EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Tammy, Clara, and Amy: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! –run away in a panic-

Silvan Arrow: -pouts- You're mean.

Michelle: I know! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Eri: -suddenly walks in- Hey, where did everybody go?

Silvan Arrow: Well, they had some…uh…stuff to take care of, so that means YOU get to do the disclaimer!

Michelle: -rolls eyes- Smooth, Silvan Arrow. Real smooth…

Silvan Arrow: -glares at Michelle- Shut up.

Eri: Um…okay. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, like me.

Silvan Arrow: Thanks a bunch, Eri! Now, on with the first chappie!

* * *

Chapter 1: Trouble at Home

"Talking" 

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

'Must…resist…the urge…to kill.'

That was all Eri could think about as she paced around her room restlessly, a hand on her forehead trying to stave off the growing headache. More shouts sounded from the living room. More doors slammed shut. Eri cringed as she heard something shatter. No, she wasn't still trapped in the Abbey. No, she wasn't considering giving in to a life of crime as an ax murderer. And no, she wasn't hiding from Boris's wrath.

This was just an ordinary day at home with her team.

'Please let Tala come home soon. Oh please, PLEASE, let Tala come home soon,' Eri prayed silently as something thudded against the wall in the hall. 'He leaves me in charge for five minutes and all heck breaks loose! I'm gonna be in so much trouble when Tala gets back, but I guess that's better than our current situation.'

Pyrix invaded Eri's panic-stricken thoughts: _Don't you think you're overreacting just a little, Eri?_

Eri ignored Pyrix and opened her door just slightly. "Hey, stop throwing stuff! That costs money!" she yelled at whoever was out there.

"Ah, quit playing mom!" Amy shouted angrily. Eri quickly ducked back inside as a flower vase came flying at her door and promptly shattered into a million pieces.

Eri locked her door back and leaned back against it wearily. _Do you still think I'm overreacting, Pyrix?_ Eri asked in annoyance.

_I…stand corrected,_ Pyrix replied before cutting off their conversation. Eri listened at the door, and things quieted down after a few minutes. A little too quiet, she had to admit. Then Pyrix said, _Tala returns._

_THANK GOODNESS!_ Eri screamed mentally.

_Did you have to shout so loudly?_ Pyrix asked dryly.

_Oops…sorry,_ Eri replied sheepishly. She cracked open the door just slightly and peeked outside. Good, the coast was clear. She crept noiselessly down the stairs and through the kitchen. The place looked like a war zone. Cabinet doors were askew, various foodstuffs littered the floor, and pots and pans were lying about in all the most bizarre places. Oh, and don't forget the food splatters on the walls. 'Ugh…this is gonna take forever to clean up,' Eri thought grimly as she made her way to the front door. She opened it quietly and about fainted in relief at seeing Tala standing there. "Oh, Tala, I'm so glad you're back!" Eri exclaimed as she gave him a big hug and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Wow, I didn't think I'd be missed that much," Tala replied with a chuckle as he returned the embrace. He still didn't catch on to Eri's distraught state of mind. "I was only gone a couple of hours."

"Tala, everything's going out of control," Eri murmured in distress.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Tala asked, immediately concerned. He tightened his grip on his girlfriend to reassure her.

"We can't talk here. Come with me," she whispered, grabbing his hand and leading him to the entrance of the kitchen. "Watch out for flying objects," she warned as she peeked cautiously around the doorway, making Tala's eyes widen in horror. He didn't even have the courage to ask why the kitchen looked like the aftermath of World War II. **(A/N: I find this scenario quite humorous…in a really twisted sort of way.)** After making sure the coast was clear, she quickly led him through the kitchen and headed for the stairs.

"I HATE YOU!" a girl's voice screamed, breaking the uneasy silence. Tala recognized that voice as Amy's.

"YEAH, WELL I HATE YOU MORE!" another voice shot back. Clara's voice, to be exact. Tala winced as he heard the sound of glass shattering.

"Oh great, they're throwing dishes at each other again," Eri muttered, placing a hand to her forehead as she felt her headache developing into a migraine. "They've already broken all the vases."

"I swear, if you two don't pipe down, I will sic Umbra on you and raze this entire house to the ground!" Tala sighed. Tammy. Since when had his sister become such a hothead?

"Uh…girls, maybe you should…" they heard Spencer try to intervene.

"SHUT UP, SPENCER!" all three girls screamed.

Eri and Tala made a break for the stairs and found Ian hiding in a corner at the top. "Tala, thank goodness you're…" Ian started, but Eri clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up, dragged Tala into his room, and locked and barricaded the door with his dresser.

When they were finally alone, Tala asked sternly, "Eri, what is going on here? What happened while I was gone?" He immediately regretted using such a harsh tone of voice with her. He could tell that she was struggling not to break down completely, so he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair soothingly. "It's okay. You can tell me. I'm not mad at you or anything," he whispered in her ear. He sat on the edge of his bed and pulled Eri into his lap, holding her against his chest. He waited patiently until she was ready to talk.

Once Eri finally managed to compose herself, she started to explain everything that had happened: "Okay, it all started not long after you left. Spencer made another comment about Ian's height, so he started cursing up a storm. Clara complained to Amy about controlling her boyfriend's dirty mouth, and Amy made the comment that at least her boyfriend talks while Spencer is a 'big dumb oaf.' That's when the dishes started flying. Then Tammy started making death threats and threatened to demolish the whole house just to shut them up."

"And where was Bryan while all of this was going on?" Tala asked.

"In his room," Eri replied, rolling her eyes. "He's been so lovesick over Tammy these days that he spends most of his time in his room feeling all depressed because he's too chicken to tell her. You've got to do something, Tala. They wouldn't listen to me; they just threw dishes at me. But they'llobey you without question."

"Ah, don't worry. They'll pipe down once they get tired or hungry," Tala said reassuringly. "Just wait and see."

Two hours later…

"Um…what were you saying about them piping down, Tala?" Eri asked irritably from her seat on the bed, sending her boyfriend a death glare. Tala just laughed nervously from his spot at his desk, where he was working on his laptop. He could feel her eyes boring holes into his back. After hearing more voices shouting, doors slamming, and dishes breaking, Tala finally decided that maybe he should intervene.

"All right, that's enough. Come on, Eri." She followed Tala down the stairs into the living room, where they found Amy, Clara, Tammy, Spencer, and Ian all shouting and arguing. Spencer and Ian were preparing to throw plates at each other while the girls looked like they would start a major catfight any second now.

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS!" Tala yelled at the top of his lungs. Immediately all five bladers shut their traps and froze, turning timid looks to their captain. Spencer and Ian dropped the plates they were holding, breaking the uneasy silence with the sound of shattering glass. "Now, you mind explaining what in heaven's name possessed you guys to cause such a commotion and ransack the entire house?" Tala scolded, his arms crossed across his chest and his foot tapping the floor angrily. The others just looked down at the carpet like guilty children to avoid meeting Tala's angry icy blue death glare. "So...nobody's talking? Fine, then you all can share in the punishment. You guys made this mess, so you're going to clean it up. Every dish, every crumb. I expect all five of you to report to the beydish at five tomorrow morning for four hours of extra training. Is that clear?" The others nodded sheepishly. "Good." Satisfied that he'd made his point, Tala turned on his heel and stalked back upstairs, Eri following closely behind.

Once they were back in Tala's room, Tala let out a weary sigh and sat down heavily on his bed, dropping his head into his hands. "Ugh…what is our team coming to, Eri?"

"What do you mean?" Eri prodded gently, sitting down beside him.

"I mean, ever since we got rid of Boris, it's like everyone wants to rest on their laurels and just forget that Biovolt ever existed. We are still a beyblading team, so we can't afford to get caught up in pointless arguments like this."

"Well, the local tournaments have kept us pretty busy lately. Maybe the team just needs a break to rest and recharge," Eri suggested. Then an idea popped into her head. "And I think I know just who can arrange that."

"Uh-oh…you've got that look in your eyes again," Tala said, catching the playful glint in her emerald orbs.

"Oh? What look?" Eri teased, heading for the door.

Tala stopped her by getting up and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You're planning something, aren't you?"

"Hmmm…maybe," Eri replied cryptically with a smirk.

"You know it's not nice to keep secrets from your captain," Tala murmured. His warm breath tickled Eri's ear and made her shiver. Now it was Tala who smirked.

"But it's a good secret," Eri protested. "Look, I just need to make a phone call, and then I'll be right back, okay?"

"Fine, but you're staying in here tonight," Tala said. When Eri craned her neck to give him a puzzled expression, he added, "If Tammy barges in here tonight to get revenge on me, I'll need a bodyguard."

"Oh please…" Eri muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, you're sleeping on the couch." With that, she pried herself loose from his arms and returned to her own room. She retrieved her cell phone and punched in an all-too-familiar speed dial. After a couple of rings, the person she needed to talk to answered. "Hey, Michelle! It's Eri. Listen, I need a small favor…"

Later…

Tala woke up a few minutes before five. He had been sleeping on the couch in his room, and right now his neck was screaming in protest. Rubbing the knotted muscles in his neck, Tala sat up and yawned once before getting up to make sure his delinquent teammates were awake and at the beydish for their disciplinary training. He quickly dressed in the adjoining bathroom and found Eri still sound asleep in his bed. Smiling, he kissed her softly on the forehead before leaving the room.

Four hours later…

Tammy, Clara, Amy, Spencer, and Ian collapsed in a heap on the floor of the house's basement, which had been converted into a training center. They were completely exhausted after the workout Tala had put them through. Every muscle in their bodies ached. "I hope you guys learned your lesson," Tala said. They all groaned in response, which Tala took as an affirmative.

Just then Eri burst into the room, followed by a sleepy-looking Bryan. "Hey, guys, guess what?" she asked happily.

"Skip the guessing games and just spit it out," Tammy replied in annoyance.

"Pack your bags, peoples. We're going on a little trip!"

"Uh...where?" Spencer asked.

"Switzerland!"

End chapter 1

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Author's Note: And there you have it, folks! Chapter one is now complete! How did you like it? By the way, the characters are older in this story. Eri, Ian, Amy, Clara, and Spencer are all 18, and everyone else is 19. I've wanted to write that whole segment with the people arguing and destroying the house for a while. I think I have an evil side… Anyway, what did you guys think? Please review and give me your opinions! I do need some ideas for humorouspranks the Bladebreakers and the Blitzkrieg Boys can pull to try and get Bryan and Tammy together. PLEASE REVIEW! 


	2. Chapter 2: Let the Fun Begin!

Silvan Arrow: Well, it seems that the girls have all fled for their lives, thanks to you.

Michelle: I aim to please -grins evilly-.

Silvan Arrow: But now who am I going to get to do the disclaimer?

Tala: Uh…why don't you just do it yourself?

Silvan Arrow: -innocently- Tala! What great timing! Why don't YOU do the disclaimer?

Tala: -rolls eyes- Do I really have a choice?

Silvan Arrow: No, not really, unless you want to get assaulted by fangirls again. Remember what happened last time?

Tala: O.O -gulps- Oh yeah… Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters, which means she doesn't own me. She just owns her OCs.

Silvan Arrow: Oh, how I wish I could buy Tala from whoever owns Beyblade. I'm sure the people in charge wouldn't mind parting with him. While I plot and scheme how to raise enough money to buy Tala, here's chapter 2!

Tala: She's crazy…

* * *

Chapter 2: Let the Fun Begin!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

"Ugh…I hate flying," Clara groaned for the twentieth time that hour. She leaned over, gripping her head in her hands, and tried to fight off another wave of nausea as the airplane hit some minor turbulence. Spencer, who was sitting beside her next to the window, rubbed her back soothingly, but it wasn't helping much.

_Maybe you should ask the flight attendant for some medicine to settle your stomach,_ Delphinos' melodic, feminine voice suggested.

_I'm not sure how much that will help, Delphinos,_ Clara replied as the airplane rocked to one side. She jumped out of her seat and ran to the bathroom, ignoring the flight attendants screaming at her to get back to her seat.

"Sheesh, what a wimp," Ian, who was sitting behind Spencer and Clara, muttered, earning him a slap on the head from Amy. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Don't talk mean about Clara!" Amy scolded. "She's always had a problem with airsickness."

"Don't make me make me throw you off this plane, Ian," Bryan warned dangerously from the aisle across from his teammates.

"Better yet, don't make me destroy this hunk of junk," Tammy added from her seat beside him.

"Just zip it, all of you," Tala ordered firmly. The bickering beybladers fell silent. He glanced down at Eri, who was leaning against his shoulder asleep. He was amazed that all the noise hadn't woken her up. 'She can sleep through anything.'

_You haven't seen anything yet. Just try to wake her up in the mornings, _Pyrix intervened jokingly.

Tala laughed silently at Pyrix's remark before returning his attention to his teammates. They simply had not been getting along lately. Back when they lived in fear of Boris, they stuck together like brothers and wouldn't let anything break the bonds of friendship that held the team together. But now, when life was peaceful, the team was falling apart. _How much longer can we continue like this, Wolborg?_ Tala inquired of his bit beast. _Everything that we've fought for will be meaningless if the team can't even stick together._

_I don't know, Tala, _Wolborg replied honestly._ You and your teammates need to rediscover the unity that kept all of you alive while Boris was a threat. If you cannot accomplish that, then I fear the team will collapse completely. I think this vacation is just what all of you need._

_I hope so. At least it might help take some of the stress off everybody_, Tala added before ending the mental chat. The flight attendant then gave the order to prepare for landing. Tala leaned over and kissed Eri's forehead. "Hey, wake up," he whispered in her ear.

Eri groaned as she reluctantly opened her eyes and yawned. "Ugh…what's going on? Are we in Switzerland yet?"

"Yeah, we'll be landing shortly," Tala replied.

"Good," Eri said as she tried to stretch her cramped muscles. "I hate these long flights." Tala chuckled.

30 minutes later…

Tala led his team out of the luggage pick-up terminal and headed for the exit. "Now where were we supposed to meet…" he muttered to himself but was cut off when Eri took off running in the direction of an all-too-familiar blonde.

"BUDDY!" Eri cried as she grabbed Michelle in a giant bear hug.

"BUDDY!" Michelle cried as she hugged her best friend back. "Air…need…air."

"Hehehehe…sorry about that," Eri replied sheepishly as she pulled away. "How long have you guys been here? And where are the others?"

"We just got in about an hour ago. As for Tyson and them, they're at the food court. Last time I checked, Tyson had eaten all the food from one burger joint and was on his fourth hot fudge sundae," Michelle explained matter-of-factly.

"Holy cow, where does he put it all?" Eri asked in disbelief. She and Michelle continued talking a mile a minute as they left to go find the Bladebreakers, leaving Tala and the others just standing there.

"Great…now she probably expects me to carry her bags too," Tala muttered.

Meanwhile, Eri and Michelle found the Bladebreakers sitting around a table near the food court. Tyson was stuffing his face with obscene amounts of ice cream while Hilary scolded him about his table manners…or lack thereof. Rei, Max, and Kenny were finishing up their first course, while Kai was just leaning back in his chair looking bored with the whole scene. He spared a small smile for Michelle and Eri, and the others greeted the girls accordingly.

"Tyson, stop talking with your mouth full!" Hilary scolded.

"Sheesh, would you give it a rest, Hil?" Tyson shot back as he chewed and swallowed. Hilary began to question why she ever started dating him.

"Okay, now that you're done stuffing your face and the Blitzkrieg Boys have arrived, can we get going?" Kenny asked.

"Not just yet, Chief," Michelle cut in. "We're still waiting for a couple of people." Just then someone behind her called her name. She grinned and said, "Perfect timing. Here they are now." The Bladebreakers followed her gaze to see Mariah, Mariam, and Emily heading towards them.

"Mariah! What are you doing here?" Rei asked in a mixture of surprise and delight as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Michelle invited us! She wanted it to be a surprise," Mariah explained.

"Maxie! I haven't seen you in forever!" Mariam exclaimed as she hugged her boyfriend.

"It's so good to see you again. I've missed you," Max replied as he hugged her back.

Kenny, on the other hand, still wasn't so eloquent when it came to talking to girls. "Oh! H-hi, Emily," he stammered.

"Sheesh, you need to learn to loosen up, Kenny," Emily chided lightly with a smile.

"Okay, now we're ready to go," Michelle announced once the happy reunions were out of the way. The large group of beybladers met up with the Blitzkrieg Boys and headed outside. A bus was already waiting, and soon they were on their way up the mountain.

Fifteen minutes later…

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…" Tyson started singing for the fifth time.

"TYSON, SHUT UP!" everyone else screamed.

"Sheesh, you guys always have to ruin my fun," Tyson pouted, slouching in his seat and crossing his arms.

Okay, enough of that…

"Whoa, is this where we're staying?" Rei asked in disbelief, staring at the massive ski lodge in front of the group. The bus had taken them into the mountain range where the ski resorts were located. At the moment, the entire group was standing in front of the bus gawking at a formidable wooden lodge set at the base of a snow-covered mountain.

"Yup, and we've got it all to ourselves for as long as we want," Michelle proclaimed proudly.

"Wow, that must have cost a lot of money," Kenny stated, crunching some numbers in his head.

"Oh, it didn't cost me a thing," Michelle replied slyly. "Sadly, I can't say the same for one unlucky person in this group."

Suddenly Kai's eyes widened and he pointed an accusing finger at Michelle. "So it was YOU who stole my credit card!" Michelle laughed and started running as Kai tried to catch her. Finally Tammy got sick of watching and casually stuck her foot out as Kai came near, effectively tripping him so he fell face-first into the snow. Everyone started laughing hysterically as Kai got up and dusted himself off, muttering curses in Russian under his breath. "Just you wait, Michelle. This isn't over," he grumbled.

"Oh, don't be such a grumpy grinch!" Eri chirped. "Come on, you sticks in the mud! We're here to have fun, so loosen up!" Michelle and Eri linked arms and skipped merrily up the driveway to the lodge. Kai and Tala just stood back and watched with sweat drops.

"Since when did Eri get so hyper?" Tala asked in amusement.

"Since Michelle gave her sugar," Kai replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh the horror…" Tala grumbled as he slapped his palm to his forehead. Then he noticed two untended piles of luggage sitting nearby. "Oh great, looks like they expect us to be the baggage boys again." Grumbling in Russian, he and Kai grabbed their girlfriends' bags and followed everyone else into the lodge.

Once inside, Michelle held up a piece of paper and announced, "Okay, here's a list of who each person is rooming with."

"And what if we don't like who we're rooming with? I don't remember electing you the boss," Ian protested.

"Just go along with it, shrimp," Spencer said. "It's better than getting on her bad side."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP?" Ian yelled while trying to throttle Spencer. He held off the shorter blader with one hand and looked rather indifferent to the situation.

Okay, once THAT was resolved, everyone checked to see who they were rooming with. Here are the assignments:

Kai and Michelle

Tyson and Hilary

Rei and Mariah

Max and Mariam

Kenny and Emily

Tala and Eri

Spencer and Clara

Ian and Amy

And, saving the best for last, Tammy and Bryan

"Hey, what's the big idea? Why do I have to share a room with Bryan?" Tammy complained after looking at the list of roommates.

"Well, I figured the girls would want to room with their boyfriends, so I paired them up together," Michelle reasoned. "You and Bryan are the only ones not dating anyone, so I guess that's how it turned out. And no, there are no spare rooms."

"Urgh…" Tammy grumbled some more curses in Russian before grabbing her bags and stomping up the stairs to the room she would be sharing with Bryan.

On the other side of the foyer, one other person was having issues with the roommate assignments. "WHAT? I swear, Eri, you are such a COWARD! You are sharing a room with Tala and that's final!" Michelle exclaimed. **(A/N: Yeah, Eri's shy about stuff like sharing a room with a guy. Go figure. This little aspect of her personality will come into play later.)**

"But…but…" Eri stammered.

"No buts about it! Now march!" Michelle ordered, pointing up the stairs. Eri knew better than to argue and grabbed her bags and marched silently up the stairs. Tala wisely kept his trap shut during the whole exchange.

In Bryan and Tammy's room… **(A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about them.)**

Tammy entered the bedroom first and quickly surveyed her surroundings. It contained two single beds, a nightstand between them, two closets, a TV, and a window with a view of the ski slopes. She started unpacking her bags and organizing her belongings in one of the closets. Bryan came in a couple of minutes later and unpacked his own bags. He didn't want to disturb her, not to mention that he couldn't even make his vocal chords produce sound if his life depended on it. Tammy lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and started blasting rock music through the headphones of her portable CD player. Bryan sat on his own bed and tried to think of something, anything, to say that would break the uneasy silence between them. He finally found his voice and started, "Uh…Tammy?"

Tammy opened her eyes, turned off her music, and sat up to face him. "Yeah? What is it?" she asked but not unkindly.

"If you don't want me in here, I can go somewhere else," Bryan said while looking away.

Tammy thought back to how she had complained earlier about sharing a room with him and immediately wished she could take it back. "Oh, it's not like that. I didn't mean to go off like that earlier. I really don't mind rooming with you, and I especially never meant to hurt your feelings," she replied reassuringly. Bryan met her gaze and managed a small smile. At least the ice was broken…for now.

Meanwhile…

All the girls were gathered in Michelle and Kai's bedroom for a secret meeting. "Okay, I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked all of you to come in here," Michelle began. "Well, I'm sure you all think you're just here for a vacation, but Eri and I had another motive for setting this up."

"You mean we're not really here for vacation?" Mariam asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. This is still for fun," Eri replied. "But we need your help with something. You see, Tammy is the only girl among us without a boyfriend, and Bryan has had a crush on her for the longest time. That's where you girls come in."

"Oh, I get it! You want us to help you play matchmaker!" Mariah exclaimed.

"Exactly," Eri replied with a nod. "Kai and Tala are briefing the guys on this as we speak. This mission is gonna require everyone's help. I mean, come on, this is Bryan and Tammy we're talking about. Bryan's too chicken to admit his feelings, and Tammy has anger management issues. Those two need help. So…are you in?" All the girls gave her a thumbs-up. "Okay, here's the plan…"

End chapter 2

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading that! I know not much happened, but trust me, the fun is just beginning! I really appreciate all the support you guys gave me in your reviews for the last chapter. Your reviews keep me inspired and motivated to keep writing quality stories. I'm still open for schemes the other bladers can pull on Bryan and Tammy. Please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3: Snow Follies

Silvan Arrow: Okay, it's time for chapter 3! Now things will start to get interesting!

Tyson: Interesting? Like how?

Silvan Arrow: Well, for one, we get to pick on you!

Tyson: What? That's not fair!

Silvan Arrow: I don't care what's fair for you. Now shut up and do the disclaimer!

Tyson: Oh fine. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Happy now?

Silvan Arrow: Yep! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 3: Snow Follies

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

The next morning everyone was ready for a day of fun in the snow. Also, everyone except Bryan and Tammy was ready to put Operation Matchmaker into action. While the bladers were eating around the big breakfast table, Clara suddenly piped out: "Hey, we're…missing someone."

Amy looked around the table as well. "Yeah…where's Tyson?"

Hilary rolled her eyes and replied, "Oh, he's still sleeping. I tried to wake him up. I even said breakfast was ready, but he still kept snoring away."

Eri and Michelle glanced at each other and smirked. "We know a good way to wake him up," Michelle said deviously.

Five minutes later…

Eri and Michelle silently opened the door to Tyson's room and crept in, holding a bucket of snow between them. Tyson was still lying in bed, covers askew, snoring like a foghorn. They slowly made their way to his bedside, readied the bucket, and mouthed to each other, "One…two…three…" DUMP!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Uh…I guess that worked," Tammy remarked with a sweat drop.

"CCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLDDDDDD!"

Twenty minutes later…

"ACHOO!" Tyson sneezed. "I don't see why you had to dump snow on me just to wake me up!"

"Oh, get over it, Tyson. We're here to ski, not listen to you complain," Hilary scolded. At the moment, all the bladers were gathered at the foot of the mountain, sporting winter attire and ski equipment.

"So has anyone here been skiing before?" Rei asked. The four Blitzkrieg Boys' hands went up, as well as Emily's. Rei sighed. "We're in trouble…"

The girls decided that this was the perfect opportunity to put Phase One of Operation Matchmaker into action. Objective: Get Bryan and Tammy onto the same ski lift. As everyone got in line to get on the ski lift, all the girls quickly paired off with their boyfriends, leaving just Bryan and Tammy. So far, so good. Bryan and Tammy shared a chair, with Eri and Tala in front and Michelle and Kai behind them. Kai noticed that Michelle was watching the lift in front of them rather intently. "You've got that look in your eye again. What are you doing?" Kai asked suspiciously.

"Spying," Michelle replied with an innocent grin.

"Tala might not appreciate you spying on his baby sister."

Michelle shrugged. "So? I don't care. Besides, he's way up there. He won't find out." Kai sighed in resignation and leaned back in the chair. Better not to argue.

Meanwhile, Bryan and Tammy had been silent during the whole ride up the mountain. After sitting in this awkward silence for a few minutes, Tammy finally decided to try and strike up a conversation. "So…do you ski a lot?" Ah, a question about skiing. How original…

"Yeah, I went skiing with my team a lot in Russia," Bryan replied.

"Oh, that's right. You grew up in Russia," Tammy said. "So…do you think you could show me the basics?"

"Hmmm…I guess it couldn't hurt," Bryan replied with a smirk. Just then their lift reached the top of the mountain, so both bladers dismounted. He positioned himself at the top of the slope with Tammy beside him. He pretended to ignore the bewildered stares the others were sending him. To think Bryan was actually talking to her... "Just don't cross your skis, and lean into your turns."

Tammy looked down the slope and gulped. "Um…it's pretty high up."

"Scared of heights?" Bryan teased with a smirk.

"Who, me? I'm not scared of anything!" Tammy exclaimed indignantly.

"Well, I'll stick close by in case you fall." Tammy had to suppress a blush at Bryan's sudden change of attitude. Since when did he actually volunteer to help anyone? She brushed those thoughts aside when he suddenly started down the slope, spraying snow in her face. "Race ya to the bottom!"

"Hey, no fair! Come back here, you cheater!" Tammy yelled as she started after him, her slight apprehension completely forgotten. Meanwhile, Eri and Michelle shared a secret high-five. So far their plan was working perfectly.

They skied all morning before breaking for lunch. After lunch, Tyson and Max begged to have a snow war. The others agreed, since they knew those two hyperactive teens wouldn't stop nagging until they got their wish. "Let's make it boys versus girls!" Tyson added. Everyone groaned.

"Isn't that a little unfair, Tyson?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, it is. It's unfair for you!" Michelle taunted. "Get ready to eat snow, boys!" With that, she led the rest of the girls to one side of the snow-covered field to start building a fort. The guys followed suite and started building their own fort. Within ten minutes, both teams had built a sizable wall of snow and a huge pile of snowballs. The girls also had the foresight to add two extra walls to their fort for extra cover. Tyson had the audacity to throw the first snowball, which hit Hilary in the head.

"That's the first shot! Return fire!" Mariam ordered. The girls screamed and started throwing snowballs like crazy. The guys quickly returned fire. Eri and Michelle made sure to hit Tyson and Ian, the most annoying members of their teams, multiple times before concentrating on the rest of the opposition. Tala threw one snowball that hit Eri on the shoulder, and she retaliated by throwing one that hit him smack in the face. Michelle pelted Kai with half a dozen snowballs before he scored a hit on her.

Finally Michelle had had enough of stalling and nodded at Eri. "Cover for us!" Eri shouted before she and Michelle jumped out of their fort and started charging for the guys' fort, still throwing snowballs. Mariam, Hilary, Mariah, and Emily covered them with support fire while Clara, Amy, and Tammy kept a lookout for any guys foolish enough to charge for their fort.

Tammy caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and spotted Bryan sneaking toward them along the outskirts of the field. 'Hehehe…I'll show him,' she thought wickedly before pelting him with snowballs. Bryan didn't seem fazed at all but instead started sprinting for their fort. In desperation, Tammy jumped out and tackled him, pinning him to the ground. "You don't look so tough from this angle, Bryan," Tammy taunted as she pinned his shoulders to the ground.

Bryan smirked and used his weight to throw her off and switched positions so he pinned her to the ground. He kept a firm hold on her wrists and pinned them on either side of her body. "Looks like the odds are in my favor now," Bryan teased. Just then a whoop was heard in the distance, and Bryan looked up to see Michelle doing a victory dance on top of the guys' demolished fort while Eri high-fived the rest of her teammates.

Tammy noted the position she and Bryan were in and spoke up: "Uh…Bryan?" He turned his head to look at her. "You can get off me now." His eyes widened in embarrassment and he tried to not blush ten shades of red as he hastily scrambled to his feet and dusted snow off his jacket. He walked over to the rest of the guys, mumbling curses in Russian under his breath, before Tammy could say anything.

After the snow war, Mariah suggested that they go ice-skating. No one had any objections, so it was off to the frozen lake, ice skates in hand. 'Am I the only one who doesn't know how to ice skate?' Tammy thought in frustration as she watched everyone else. Well, Kenny kept falling every five seconds, so at least she wasn't the only one who stunk. Emily stayed busy constantly helping him to his feet. Tammy pulled on her ice skates and hesitantly stepped out onto the ice. Her feet felt shaky beneath her as she tried to keep her balance. 'Oh crap…I'm gonna fall…' she thought frantically as she waved her arms to try and stay upright. She skidded across the ice, out of control, until she smacked into another body and felt a pair of arms catch her. **(A/N: Guess who?)**

"Are you okay?" Tammy looked up, met Bryan's eyes, and failed to hide the slight blush across her face.

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine," she stammered as she pulled away, slipped, and gripped his shoulder for support.

Bryan smirked. "I take it you don't ice skate much?"

"Try never," Tammy replied. "But of course you, being from Russia and all, are an expert."

Bryan chuckled. "Believe me, I stunk far more than you my first time." He grabbed her hand. "Come on, I won't let you fall." Tammy forced a smile and let him drag her across the ice.

Aw…isn't that cute?

Everyone got back to the ski lodge just as it was getting dark. After changing out of their wet clothes and showering, they ate dinner and sat around the large living room in front of a roaring fire trying to decide what to do next. Rei and Hilary fixed steaming mugs of hot chocolate for everyone.

"That was a fun day," Mariah commented as she snuggled against Rei on the couch.

"Yeah, we should do it again," Hilary agreed.

Silence fell over the room, until Tyson blurted out, "I'm bored."

"Well, what do you have in mind, Mr. Smarty Pants?" Ian asked sarcastically.

"Hey, I've got it!" Everyone turned to look at Emily. "Let's play Truth or Dare!"

End chapter 3

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it! The first cliffy of this story! I know Bryan was probably OOC, so please don't flame me for that. I hope this chapter wasn't too cheesy or boring, and I'm sorry if it's a little short.In case some of you are confused about the OCs, I have detailed descriptions of them on my profile. They've been in the other stories in this series, but it's not necessary to read them to understand this plot. Of course, I always like it when new people read my stories! Next chapter is the fateful game of Truth or Dare. I can't wait to write that chapter! Hey, if any of you reviewers have ideas for dares for any of the characters, I would love to hear them. PLEASE REVIEW! 


	4. Chapter 4: Truth or Dare! Oh the horror

Silvan Arrow: At last! Here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for and the one I've been wanting to write!

Eri: And what chapter might that be?

Silvan Arrow: Truth or Dare!

Kai and Tala: O.O NOOOOOO! -run away screaming-

Michelle: -sigh- Oh great, there they go again. Eri, let's go get them.

Eri: Okay. COME BACK HERE, YOU WEANIES!

Eri and Michelle: -race after Kai and Tala-

Silvan Arrow: -sigh- Great, now who's going to do the disclaimer?

Ian: -walks in- What's going on? I heard screaming?

Silvan Arrow: Oh nothing. Hey, you wanna do the disclaimer?

Ian: No.

Silvan Arrow: Well, too bad! You get to do it anyway!

Ian: -growls- Oh fine. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs.

Silvan Arrow: I keep forgetting to mention this, but I also don't own Michelle. She belongs to my best friend.

Michelle: Silvan Arrow, when I'm done punishing Kai, you're next!

Silvan Arrow: -gulp- Uh…while I make a few phone calls to increase my life insurance and hire some bodyguards, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4: Truth or Dare! Oh the horror…

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**But first, here's a recap of the last chapter: **

**Silence fell over the room, until Tyson blurted out, "I'm bored." **

**"Well, what do you have in mind, Mr. Smarty Pants?" Ian asked sarcastically.**

**"Hey, I've got it!" Everyone turned to look at Emily. "Let's play Truth or Dare!"**

**End recap**

"Hey, that sounds like a great idea!" Mariam exclaimed, sharing a conspiratorial wink with Eri and Michelle.

"Is everyone agreed?" Hilary asked. No one objected. Then Hilary noticed something. "Hey, we're missing a couple of people." She did a quick head count and asked, "Where did Kai and Tala go?"

Michelle and Eri looked at each other and sighed. "They are such wimps," Eri stated sadly, shaking her head in shame.

"We'll be right back," Michelle said calmly as she and Eri walked out of the room. A few seconds later, the bladers in the living room heard her voice echo through the house: "KAI, YOU BIG BABY! WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY?" Kai tried to stammer some sort of excuse, but nothing intelligible came out of his mouth. "ENOUGH EXCUSES! NOW YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!" Michelle and Eri returned shortly, dragging their boyfriends behind them by the ears. **(A/N: Thanks for the great idea, Beeku!)**

"Ow, that hurts! Knock it off, Eri!" Tala whined. Eri let him go once he was seated on a couch. He rubbed his sore ear and said, "You know, that really wasn't necessary."

"You know, it really was, or else you would have hidden in that closet for the rest of the night," Eri replied matter-of-factly. Kai snickered.

"Shut up, Kai," Tala snapped. "You were hiding in there too." Kai shut up and looked away in disgrace.

Once that little matter was resolved, everyone sat in a circle on the floor of the living room. "Okay, we need a few basic ground rules before we get started," Michelle stated. "No boy-boy or girl-girl kissing, no sex, and no nudity. Also, you can't pick Truth two times in a row. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, good."

Tyson's hand shot up in the air. "Ooh! Ooh! Can I go first?" he asked excitedly.

Michelle sighed in annoyance at her hyperactive teammate and replied, "Yes, Tyson, you can go first."

"Okay! Um…" He scanned through the group of people until he decided on his first victim. "Eri, Truth or Dare?"

Eri thought for a moment and then replied, "Truth."

"Okay, ever since you and Tala started dating, have you two ever…um…you know…gotten--"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Tyson! And no, we most certainly have not!" Eri exclaimed indignantly.

Tala's face went pale at Tyson's innuendo. "She's telling the truth," he added quickly.

Kai bashed Tyson on the head. "Ow! What was that for, Kai?" Tyson demanded while holding his pounding head.

"For being stupid."

"Eri, it's your turn," Max reminded her.

"Oh, right." She looked through the faces and thought this was as good a time as any to put Phase 2 of Operation Matchmaker into action. "Bryan, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Bryan responded without hesitation.

"Do you like anyone in this room?" Eri asked.

Bryan was silent for a moment and then responded quietly, "Yes."

"Oh, really? Who?" she pressed.

"I thought you could only ask one question," Bryan stated with a glare.

Eri couldn't think of a good comeback. "Well…I…uh…"

"BAKA!" Michelle cried, smacking her on the head.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Well, you deserved it."

Once the two friends had finishing bickering, Bryan asked Rei, "Rei, Truth or Dare?"

Rei smirked. "Dare," he replied confidently.

"I dare you to eat catnip."

Rei's eyes widened in horror. "No…you're not serious, are you?"

"I'm dead serious," Bryan stated, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, I don't think anyone has any catnip," Rei replied nervously.

"HEY, GUYS! THERE'S SOME CATNIP IN THE KITCHEN!" Tyson's voice called from across the lodge. He came skipping in carrying a small bag with catnip. "Here ya go, Rei!" he chirped, handing him the bag. Rei started sweating with dread.

"Oh no. This is not good…" Mariah muttered.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"When Rei eats catnip…well, it's not a pretty sight."

Rei gulped before taking a pinch of catnip out of the bag and reluctantly shoving it in his mouth. For several long moments, nothing happened. But then…Rei hiccupped and got this goofy expression on his face. "Hey…everything looks…polka-dotted," he mumbled while grinning stupidly.

"What in the world?" Clara asked no one in particular.

Then Rei stood up, held up his hand like a microphone, and announced, "And this little ditty goes out to all my adoring fans." He started to sing…the Barney song. Oh the horror… "I wuv you….You wuv me…We'we a gweat big famiwy…" However, his song was cut short as he fell to the ground and passed out.

The others stared at each other wide-eyed for a few moments before Tammy asked, "What the heck just happened?"

"Catnip to Rei is like an overdose of alcohol," Mariah explained. "He basically got drunk."

"Well…now that Rei's out of commission, does anyone want to take his turn?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, I will!" Michelle chirped. "Eri, Truth or Dare?"

'Oh crap…' Eri thought. 'I've already picked Truth, so I guess there's no way outta this one.' She grimaced and muttered, "…Dare."

"Hehehehehehehe…thought so," Michelle stated while grinning wickedly. "Okay, I dare you to share a bed with Tala tonight. And no, you can't stay up the entire night on the excuse that you 'weren't sleepy.'"

Eri's eyes widened. "ACK! Are you kidding me? Those are single beds! They're not big enough!"

"Exactly," Michelle replied deviously. Eri opened her mouth to say something, but Michelle cut her off: "And no, Tala doesn't have a choice in the matter."

Eri glared at her best friend. "I hate you."

"Why, thank you!" Michelle chirped. "And I believe it's your turn again!"

"Fine." She needed someone to take some anger out on. "Mariam, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Mariam replied confidently. "Give me your worst."

"All right. I dare you to kiss Ian."

"What? No! His nose could put my eye out!" Mariam protested.

"Hey, stop making fun of me!" Ian complained.

Eri shrugged. "Too bad, you picked Dare. Or would you rather me come up with a penalty that's ten times worse?"

Mariam growled. "Oh fine!" She walked over to Ian, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and walked back to her seat next to Max. "All right, the next person is really gonna get it! Kenny, Truth or Dare!"

Kenny yelped in surprise and stammered, "T-truth."

"Did you ever wet the bed when you were little?"

"No, of course not! Well…maybe this one time…" He groaned in embarrassment as a few people snickered. Emily patted him on the back comfortingly. "Urgh…Kai! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Kai replied with a bored expression.

"Have you ever cheated on Michelle?"

"No."

"Uh…o-kay…"

Kai looked around the room before deciding on his next victim. "Bryan, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Bryan replied, since he had already picked Truth.

"I dare you to kiss Tammy."

Bryan felt his heart skip a beat, and he tried not to look as nervous as he felt. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Tammy blushed beet red.

"Hey, that's no fair! It should have been on the lips!" Hilary protested.

"Kai didn't specify," Bryan stated.

Michelle sighed in annoyance and bashed Kai on the head. "BAKA!"

"Ow! What's the deal with smacking people's heads today?" Kai protested angrily.

"Because your brain needs reprogramming!" Michelle shot back.

Bryan chose his captain as his next target. "Tala, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Tala replied without hesitation.

"I dare you to make out with Mariah for at least 30 seconds in front of everyone," Bryan stated with a smirk.

Tala's eyes widened in horror, and Mariah and Eri gasped. Was Bryan out of his mind? "You are so dead when this is over, Bryan," Tala threatened.

"Be glad Rei's still passed out on the floor," Bryan stated, indicating the snoring neko-jin with a wave of his hand. Muttering curses in Russian, Tala walked over to Mariah, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her. However, Rei happened to wake up and catch Tala in the middle of the kiss.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING KISSING MARIAH?" Rei yelled as he tackled Tala to the ground and started punching him. Bryan, Spencer, and Ian rushed over and hauled the enraged neko-jin off their captain and explained that it was just a dare. Rei then felt bad and apologized profusely for the next five minutes until Tala dared Mariah to clamp a piece of duct tape over his mouth. The game continued for another half hour until everyone decided to call it a night and go to bed.

In Tala and Eri's room…

"You know, Eri, you can't stare out that window all night," Tala reminded her as he lay in his bed looking quite amused.

"What? I happen to find looking out windows a very fulfilling hobby," Eri lied innocently.

Tala chuckled. "Come on, you don't want Michelle to have both our heads, do you?"

Eri sighed in defeat. "I guess not." She walked to his bed. Tala scooted over to make room for her as she crawled in next to him, pulled up the covers, and turned out the light. "She's always calling me a coward because this kind of thing makes me uncomfortable."

"You're not a coward. You're just shy, and there's nothing wrong with that," Tala said. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer so that their faces were only inches apart.

"If you try anything, Tala, I swear I will break your neck," Eri threatened.

"Thanks, I love you too," Tala teased. He kissed her softly on the lips. "You know I wouldn't do anything like that."

"Yeah, I guess," Eri replied with a shy smile. "Good night." She rolled over in his arms so her back faced him. Tala pulled her back against his chest and planted soft butterfly kisses along her neck. Eri moaned softly and snuggled into his arms. Tala tucked her head under his chin, breathed in the sweet scent of her hair, and sighed in contentment before drifting off into peaceful sleep.

End chapter 4

* * *

Author's Note: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I had so much fun writing that chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! I was practically busting a gut laughing when Rei ate the catnip! So how is everyone enjoying the story so far? I'm really happy with all the positive feedback, and I hope the rest of the story meets everyone's high expectations. I wanted to get this chapter up fast because I won't be home for the next couple of days, so my next update won't be for a few days at least. In the meantime, PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you thought! 


	5. Chapter 5: Girls' Day In, Boys' Day Out

Silvan Arrow: Sorry about the long wait for this latest update, but I was away from home for a couple of days, and that means no internet for me. Also, my computer was being stupid.

Michelle: Oh great, I guess this means it's back to torturing us some more.

Silvan Arrow: Oh yeah, and you'll love what I have planned for the girls in this chapter.

Eri: Uh…should we be afraid?

Silvan Arrow: Oh yes, be afraid…be very afraid. MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA! -continues laughing like a maniac-

Clara: Hmmm…looks like she's out of commission for the time being.

Amy: What a drag. Looks like we have to do the disclaimer this time.

Tammy: Whatever. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs.

Michelle: Of which I am not one!

Tammy: Yes, we know. While Silvan Arrow finishes her maniacal laughter, here's chapter 5.

Chapter 5: Girls' Day In, Boys' Day Out

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

"But, Mariah, I don't want to spend the whole day at the spa," Eri whined as she struggled to break Mariah's death grip on her arm.

"Oh come on, don't be so chicken about it," Mariah teased, continuing to drag a very reluctant Eri down the hall.

"Unhand me, Mariam!" Michelle exclaimed dangerously. "I don't need to spend a whole day getting makeovers and manicures! It's so boring!"

"How would you know? Have you ever given it a try?" Mariam asked.

"I don't need to 'give it a try' to know that I hate it!" Michelle protested, struggling some more.

"Just think of it as a girls' day in," Emily added. "I mean, the guys are going out on their own for the day, so that means we can do our own thing."

"But there's no one working in the spa today," Eri said hopefully. Maybe she wouldn't have to go through with this after all!

"But all the supplies and equipment are there," Hilary replied. "We can do it ourselves!" Eri and Michelle groaned. The last thing they wanted to do with their valuable time was spend it doing…gasp…girly things. Let's face it, those two spent all their time around other guys. At least Michelle had Hilary to hang out with, but Eri had grown up in an all-boys' Abbey. Tammy, Clara, and Amy decided to go along without any protest, although Tammy looked more freaked out than her teammates.

Okay, for those of you who are confusedby this most recent turn of events, here's a brief flashback:

**Flashback **

**"Wow, this place has everything," Clara remarked while exploring the massive ski lodge with the other girls. **

**"Hey, check this out!" Hilary called from around the corner. The rest of the girls hurried to catch up with her. She pointed to a sign on a door that led to a spa. "We totally need to check this out!"**

**Eri grabbed Michelle's arm and tugged her a few yards away from the group. "Did you know about this?" she whispered through gritted teeth.**

**"Dangit…I knew I shouldn't have booked the 'Deluxe Lodge,'" Michelle whispered back. "Nobody mentioned it on the website."**

**"Baka!" Eri hissed.**

**"Don't call me a baka, you baka!" Michelle shot back. The argument commenced from there.**

**End flashback**

"Have fun, girls!" Max and Tyson chorused before following the other guys outside.

"I feel kinda bad for Eri and Michelle," Tala whispered to Kai.

"Enjoy life while you can, cause we're so dead when we get back," Kai whispered back.

With the girls…oh the horror…

"Okay, ladies, here's the first thing on our agenda," Emily announced as she led the girls, wrapped in towels, to the first area of the lodge's built-in spa. They crowded around her to see what she was indicating…only to see a giant hot tub filled with…mud. "A nice refreshing mud bath!"

Tammy, Michelle, and Eri bore horrified expressions on their faces while the others looked indifferent to mildly disgusted. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Eri exclaimed.

"You expect us to sit naked in a pool of stinky mud?" Tammy cried in horror.

"No way! Count me out! Over my dead body!" Michelle objected.

Emily sighed in annoyance. "I didn't want to have to do this. Girls, if you would be so kind." She and the other girls grabbed Eri, Michelle, and Tammy by the arms…and then…SPLASH! The entire lodge echoed with the sound of screaming.

Thirty minutes later…

"Thank goodness for showers…" Eri muttered as she sat back in a chair wearing a bath robe. The other girls were also sitting in chairs wearing bath robes.

"That was sheer misery," Michelle added.

"Okay, now we move on to facials," Amy announced, bringing in a jar of green facial cream.

"Gross, you're not seriously gonna smear that green slime on our faces, are you?" Tammy asked Amy with a death glare.

"It's special exfoliating cream to remove dead skin and wrinkles," Clara explained, bringing in another tray.

"Wrinkles? We're not middle-aged, married women with ten kids!" Michelle protested. "We're teenagers! We don't HAVE wrinkles!"

"And are those…cucumber slices?" Eri asked suspiciously, pointing at the contents of Clara's tray.

"Oh yeah, they're specially coated for your eyes," Clara replied.

"You're gonna put cucumbers on our eyes? Ew…I hate cucumbers!" Eri protested.

"Hey, maybe we can eat them!" Tammy chirped.

"Oh boy! Snack! Quick, someone go get the ranch dressing!" Michelle joked before she, Eri, and Tammy broke out into fits of laughter. The other girls just sighed and shook their heads. This wasn't going so well…

Thirty more minutes later…

Tala finished his run down the ski slope and pulled up alongside Kai. He removed his ski goggles and paused to catch his breath. "I wonder how the girls are doing," he mused.

"Oh, they're probably having a blast lounging around doing nothing," Tyson commented as he pulled up near them.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Kai said. Just then two familiar voices screamed in unison from the direction of the lodge. "Yep, right on cue."

"What was that?" Rei asked in alarm.

"Someone just offered to paint Michelle's nails…pink," Kai muttered.

"Eri too, by the sound of it," Tala added.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET IT AWAY!" Eri and Michelle screamed. 

"Oh for the love of Driger, it's just nail polish!" Mariah protested, holding the bottle out at arms' length while Eri and Michelle were backed against the wall looking scared out of their wits.

"T-that's not just any nail polish…" Michelle began.

"…it's PINK nail polish!" Eri finished. The two tried to run away, but Mariam and Hilary each grabbed one by the shirt collar.

"Oh no you don't," Hilary said while dragging Eri back to the chair.

"We're not letting you get away that easily," Mariam added with a struggling Michelle.

Emily decided to chime in. "If you won't do the nail polish, then I guess we'll have to move on to the next activity." Eri and Michelle glared at her suspiciously. She held up a makeup kit and cheerfully announced, "Time for makeovers!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Meanwhile…

"Let me guess: makeovers?" Tala asked Kai.

"Yep, makeovers," Kai replied.

"We're so dead…" Tala muttered.

Back with the girls…

"Okay, you two have refused to willingly participate in any of the spa activities," Hilary began accusingly with a pointed look at Michelle and Eri. Tammy stood next to them, and all three girls were backed against the wall. "And you've been corrupting Tammy with your tomboyish ways too. How can you possible be having fun?"

"Easy. We're not," Eri replied simply.

"The best part of this experience has been annoying those of you who actually enjoy this," Michelle added with a smirk.

Mariah sighed in defeat. "Will you at least let us pick out a cute outfit for you to wear?" she asked.

"And not put up a fight?" Michelle asked innocently. "Eri, who do these girls think we are? That we're just gonna give up that easily?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Eri replied, playing along.

"For all we know, they'll want to stick us in some retarded mini-skirt. For mercy's sake, we're in the middle of Switzerland! Use your heads, people!" Tammy exclaimed. "Unless, of course, your brains have already frozen solid."

"That's it!" Mariam exclaimed. "All right, it looks like we're finally gonna have to resort to drastic measures." She cracked her knuckles and as if on cue, Hilary, Mariah, Emily, Amy, and Clara all lined up behind her, each with a threatening expression. Eri and Michelle gulped. Tammy just stood off to the side, looking bored with the whole scenario. "CHARGE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Later that day…

The guys returned to the lodge later that afternoon. Kai and Tala took off their wet snow gear and laid it out to dry in the garage before heading down the hall to the main room to warm up in front of the fire. They passed a very cranky-looking Hilary and Mariam on the way. Hilary stormed up to them, Mariam close behind, and exclaimed, "That's it! I've had it up to here with them!"

"What's wrong?" Kai asked.

"The next time you guys go out for the day, do us a favor and take your girlfriends with you!" Mariam scolded. "They've been driving us crazy all day! And what's worse, I think they corrupted your sister, Tala!" Kai and Tala glanced at each other amusedly and smirked as the girls shoved past them and stalked down the hall. Just then Eri and Michelle walked up to them, grinning madly.

"You two sure look pleased with yourselves," Tala stated as he and Kai crossed their arms. "What's this I hear about you two having a bad influence on my sister?"

Eri could see the glint of humor in Tala's eyes. "Let's just say we now have a third compatriot in our trouble-making. I'd say we did her a favor, right Michelle?"

"Of course!" Michelle agreed wholeheartedly. "However, there's just one little loose end to tie up." With that, she cracked her knuckles and glared at Kai.

Kai's eyes widened in fright and he whispered to Tala, "Run for your life."

"Consider it done." Both guys immediately took off running and screaming.

"DON'T YOU EVER LEAVE US AT THE MERCY OF THOSE GIRLS AGAIN!" Eri roared.

"YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN WE GET OUR HANDS ON YOU!" Michelle yelled. "THANKS TO YOU, I HAD TOWEAR CUCUMBERS ON MY EYES!"

"WE'RE SORRY!" Kai and Tala begged while still running for their lives.

Poor guys…

End chapter 5

* * *

Author's Note: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm so evil! I just had to write that. I suddenly got this idea one day and just started jotting down notes for it. Before I knew it, I had enough material for a whole chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought! 


	6. Chapter 6: A Night of Fears and Doubts

Eri: Silvan Arrow wishes to thank all of you awesome readers and reviewers for your continued support of this story! That means we OCs get to keep our jobs!

Michelle: Speaking of whom, where IS Silvan Arrow?

Tammy: Beats me. -turns to Clara and Amy- Girls? Any ideas?

Clara and Amy: Uhhhhh…nope.

Eri: Oh great, I'll bet she did this on purpose. Looks like someone else is gonna have to do the disclaimer. I've already done it.

Tammy: Don't look at me. I've done it too. What about one of you two?

Clara: -sigh- Might as well get it over with. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, like me. She also does not own Michelle.

Silvan Arrow: -comes running up- Hey, wait! Don't start without me!

Amy: You're too late. Clara already did the disclaimer.

Silvan Arrow: Oh, well, thanks a bunch! Just to let you readers know, this chapter will have a good deal of angst and drama, not to mention some blood. The humor will return next time, I promise! Here's chapter 7!

* * *

Chapter 6: A Night of Fears and Doubts

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**Dream Sequence**

**'No…I can't be here again,' Tammy thought frantically as two cloaked guards led her roughly by the arms through familiar underground stone halls, halls that she knew all too well. The walls reeked of blood and agonizing pain. Her heart sank deeper and deeper into the cold depths of dread with each forced step. At the end of the dark, torch-lit hallway was a gray stone door. As if on cue, the door swung open on its own accord, with a haunting creak, revealing a small, square-shaped room with gray stone walls. However, this room held Tammy's worst fears and memories. She tried to suppress the rising lump in her throat upon seeing the scarlet red stains covering the walls. **

**This was a punishment chamber. **

**"Tammy, so good of you to come," an icy feminine voice stated from her right. Tammy whirled her head to see a middle-aged woman step out from the shadows, carrying a torch in one hand and a whip in the other. The firelight from the torch lit up underneath her face, making the woman look even more frightening. She had been Tammy's instructor ever since coming to this Abbey in the United States, and she was just as cruel as Boris, perhaps even more. The firelight also reflected off the numerous small blades that were attached to the leather whip. Tammy cringed against the guards' grip, knowing full-well what was coming next. "You know the consequences of failure, my dear. You failed to complete your mission. Tala is still alive when he should be dead. Now someone else must die in his place."**

**Tammy's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you can't…"**

**"Don't you dare talk back to me, you worthless child!" the woman snapped, smacking her across the face with the butt of her whip. "Boris gave you strict orders and you failed miserably! Now you will pay for your failure with your life!" (A/N: This is a reference to O Sister, Where Art Thou. Boris ordered Tammy to kill Tala, but she didn't succeed.) The woman nodded to the guards. "Leave us," she ordered curtly. The guards released Tammy and exited the room, locking the door behind them before she could find a chance to flee. The woman turned cold eyes onto Tammy. "Now…where were we?" she asked with a wicked grin.**

**Tammy backed as far away from the woman as possible, but she lashed out with her whip,coiling it around Tammy's ankle. A quick snap of her wristjerked Tammy to the ground with a sickening thud. As she jerked the whip away, Tammy could feel the blades on the leather lacerate the sensitive skin around her ankle. She struggled not to cry out. She would not give this cruel woman the pleasure of hearing her scream. Over and over she lashed out with the whip, each strike burning like fire and slicing through Tammy's clothing and skin like a hot knife through butter. Finally the pain was too much to keep bottled inside, and Tammy let out an agonized scream. The woman laughed wickedly as she continued to beat Tammy with a sickening pleasure. **

**After what felt like an eternity, the torture stopped. The woman pulled her now blood-soaked whip away and coiled it up. "Now stay there until you die," she ground out through gritted teeth. She left the room and left Tammy to her inevitable fate, broken and bleeding on the floor.**

**Tammy could feel her strength and her very life slipping away with each passing second. She gasped raggedly for precious breath as the cold from the stone floor threatened to constrict her lungs like an iron fist. It wouldn't be long before she was finally free of all this pain. 'I'm…sorry, Tala. I only wish I could get to know you again…to be a family again.' Tammy's thoughts traveled to Bryan next. "Bryan…you were the only other person I ever truly cared about. Thank you…for trying to bring me back. Good-bye…" She closed her eyes and waited for her life to slip away completely…**

"…Tammy? Tammy, wake up!" a frantic voice broke into Tammy's panic-stricken nightmare.

Tammy jerked away to find herself wrapped in Bryan's firm embrace. He was sitting on the edge of the bed holding her. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern. Tammy was still shaking, and her face was drenched in a cold sweat.

"I…I'm okay," Tammy replied shakily. "It was just a dream."

"It sounded more like a terrible nightmare," Bryan said. "You were tossing and turning and screaming. Maybe you would feel better if you told me about it."

"I…don't know," Tammy replied hesitantly. "I don't want to relive those awful memories."

"It was about your past, wasn't it?" Bryan prodded gently as he pulled her closer for reassurance. Tammy nodded into his shoulder and buried her face in the crook of his neck. That dream had mixed the pain of her past with her worst fears: if she had gone back to the Abbey, her fate would have most certainly been death. At least it was no longer in operation, with its workers all in jail, including that horrible woman. Bryan, like the rest of the team, knew that she had grown up in another Biovolt Abbey in the United States. He could only imagine the kind of abuse she had endured, especially if it was anything like what Boris had put him and his teammates through. Bryan held her close and rocked back and forth gently. He wouldn't push her to talk unless she wanted to. Right now she just needed someone to be here.

Tammy finally broke the silence. "I hated it at that Abbey," she murmured as tears started to stream down her face. Bryan could feel her hot tears soaking through his shirt and onto his skin. "They made me forget everything. My family…my friends…the people I loved…even my emotions. I never want to suffer like that again." She wanted to say more but couldn't find her voice. She broke down into sobs and held onto Bryan tightly.

Bryan rubbed her back soothingly and sat with her as she cried. He had never seen her so distraught before. She was always so strong and confident, even if she did sometimes have a problem with keeping her anger in check. But now…she looked so vulnerable. Simply seeing her tears made Bryan want to protect her from all the evils of this world so no one could ever hurt her again. "I know, Tammy. I can understand your pain. I went through the same thing in Russia. I didn't know anything except hate. You're safe now, Tammy. I'll protect you. I promise."

Tammy waited until her tears had run dry and pulled away slightly to give Bryan a warm smile. "Thank you, Bryan. That means a lot." Her eyelids started to droop, so Bryan eased her back down into her bed and pulled the covers over her before returning to his own bed.

For the next few minutes, Bryan lay awake listening for Tammy to fall asleep. However, she just kept tossing and turning. He asked quietly, "Can you not sleep?"

Tammy rolled over so she faced Bryan and shook her head. "I just can't get that dream out of my head. It felt so real." She looked down and asked hesitantly, "Um…Bryan…if it's not too much trouble…could you…?"

Bryan got up and sat on the edge of her bed. He ran his fingers through her soft red hair and said, "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

"I…don't want to be alone anymore."

"You don't have to be," Bryan whispered. He crawled under the covers and pulled Tammy into his arms. He lay on his back and let her rest her head on his chest. "You don't have to be alone, Tammy. I'll be here for you."

Tammy sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. "You're such a good friend, Bryan. I don't know what I'd do without you." She felt safe nestled in his arms, and she snuggled closer to him before drifting off into a deep sleep.

As he watched Tammy fall asleep, Bryan couldn't get her words out of his head. _"You're such a good friend, Bryan…"_

'Is that all she thinks of me? As a friend only?' he thought. Maybe he didn't have a chance after all… He felt a tendril of concern from Falborg, but Bryan just blocked his bit beast from his mind. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. He felt Tammy wrap an arm around his waist, and he couldn't help but smile. 'As long as she's happy, that's enough for me.' Bryan pushed his doubts out of his mind and managed to drift off into a light sleep.

Meanwhile…in Tala and Eri's room…

Tala jerked away at the same instant as Tammy and sat up. A cold feeling of dread in his heart told him that something was wrong. "Tammy…" he whispered to no one in particular.

"Mmm…Tala?" Eri asked groggily from the other bed. Tala looked over at his girlfriend as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What's wrong? Why are you awake?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep," Tala replied.

"Too late for that," Eri stated as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, now fully awake. "I can tell when you're lying, and I know something's bothering you."

Tala sighed in defeat. Eri knew him too well. Now he had to tell her something. "It's about Tammy. I know she grew up in an Abbey like the one in Russia, but she never talks about it. Who knows what kind of torture she went through? I'm just afraid of what might happen if she keeps all of that inside. Even now, I can just feel that she's in pain."

Eri was silent for a moment as she conversed mentally with Pyrix. "Umbra is telling Pyrix that Tammy had a terrible nightmare. She dreamed about what would have happened if she had gone back to the U.S. Abbey after failing to take us out." Eri almost didn't want to relay this last part. "She…would have been killed."

Tala looked down at his clenched hands and tried to comprehend what he had just heard. "Why didn't she say something?" he whispered. "She hardly ever talks to me, and I can't help her if I don't know what's bothering her." He sighed miserably. "I've failed her as a brother." He got up and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Eri asked.

"It's time I took some action. I'm going to see if I can do anything for Tammy."

"That won't be necessary this time." Tala turned around and gave Eri a bewildered look. She gave him a knowing smile and added, "Bryan's with her now. He'll look after her." She got up as well and walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just knowing that you're here means more to Tammy than you realize."

Tala's gaze softened at Eri's comforting words, and he pulled her into his arms. She always knew just what to say when he was feeling down. They completed each other. 'I hope you're right, Eri,' he thought.

Later that morning…

Tammy tried to act as if nothing was amiss, and her act fooled most of the other bladers. All except Tala, Bryan, and Eri. Kai and Michelle had their own suspicions, but they chose to keep quiet and not ask questions.

"I'm not making this up!" Tyson exclaimed to the others gathered in the living room. "I swore I heard someone screaming last night!"

"Tyson, you're the heaviest sleeper I've ever met," Hilary objected. "If no one else heard it, then you must have imagined it."

"Yeah, maybe he was the one screaming because he got attacked by a giant cheeseburger in his sleep," Clara joked, eliciting a round of laughs from the other girls. Tyson crossed his arms and looked away with a pout.

Tammy didn't want to be reminded of her dream right now, so she decided to get away from the others for a while. Bryan managed to catch her eye on the way out and gave her a suspicious look that seemed to ask, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tammy paused briefly and gave Bryan a small smile. "I'm okay, Bryan. Really," she said quietly so only he could hear. With that, she turned and left the room without another word or a glance backward.

'You can't fool me, Tammy,' Bryan thought. 'You can't possibly be okay keeping all your painful memories locked away.'

_Don't worry, Bryan,_ Falborg reassured him. _She'll open up to you when she's ready._

_I just hope that happens before it's too late,_ Bryan replied grimly.

End chapter 6

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know this chapter was much darker than the previous ones. I actually meant for that whole nighttime diversion to be shorter, but once I got started I just couldn't stop. But at least you got to read some cute BryanxTammy fluff! I promise the next chapter will get back to the humor. I just wanted to give you guys a glimpse into Tammy's past and her fears. Please review and tell me what you thought! 


	7. Chapter 7: Enter the Majestics!

Silvan Arrow: Ah yes, another day. Another victim…err…I mean, volunteer to do the disclaimer!

Enrique: I'll do it for you, honey!

Silvan Arrow: ACK! Enrique, where did you come from?

Enrique: I'm here to do the disclaimer for you!

Silvan Arrow: -sigh- Oh fine, go ahead.

Enrique: Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, but she wishes she owned me!

Silvan Arrow: In your dreams, perv! Tala, if you would be so kind?

Tala: Come with me, lover boy -drags Enrique off by the ear-. It's time we had a little chat -the sound of punching is heard in the distance-.

Silvan Arrow: Oooookay…while I hire an attorney to handle this impending lawsuit, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 7: Enter the Majestics!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**(A/N: This chapter picks up right where chapter 6 left off.)**

_Your visitors will be here soon,_ Pyrix informed Eri. She was sitting on the couch in the main room, watching the fire. Rei and Mariah were asleep on the love seat in each other's arms. Tyson and Hilary were in the kitchen, where Hilary was cooking him some ramen **(A/N: I LOVE ramen!)**, even though lunch had been only an hour ago. Dragoon enjoyed keeping up a running commentary with Pyrix about how much his master could eat. Tammy had recently retired to her room, and Bryan was hanging around the downstairs hallway to try and give her some space. The rest of the group had dispersed to different areas of the house, and Eri really didn't feel like keeping tabs on all of them.

_That's good. Maybe they can help us in our little match-making scheme. But I wonder…why did Michelle invite them to come later than the others?_ Eri inquired.

_I'm not sure. Dramikun will not tell me, saying that Michelle's sworn him to secrecy. Oh well, I'm sure she had a good reason. _

_Yeah, she seems to have a reason behind everything she does,_ Eri remarked dryly. She decided to change the subject to more pressing matters. _Do you think Tammy's gonna be okay? Maybe this isn't the best time for them to show up._

_I think this will be a good distraction for her. If anything, she can let out some anger on them,_ Pyrix replied. Eri chuckled inwardly at her bit beast's comment. Yeah, Tammy would probably like to beat up some people before the day was over.

Eri was brought out of her mental chat when Tala sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Hey, I thought I would find you here," he whispered in her ear so as not to wake Rei and Mariah.

"Well, this is the warmest room in the house," she replied quietly, nodding toward the fire. "I think I've gotten too used to the warm weather in Japan."

Tala chuckled quietly. Just then they heard Rei purr in his sleep, and Eri had to bury her head in Tala's shoulder to muffle her soft laughter. "I haven't seen Michelle around in a while. I thought she would be with you," Tala remarked.

"She went out with Kai about two hours ago. They'll be back later," Eri replied. She snuggled closer to the warm body next to her, wrapping her arms around his middle, and laid her head on his shoulder. Tala placed his other arm around her and kissed her cheek. Eri sighed softly and started to doze. Sadly, the moment was interrupted by the doorbell. 'Ugh…Michelle has a key. She doesn't have to ring the stupid doorbell,' Eri grumbled silently.

_That isn't Michelle,_ Pyrix replied. _The Majestics are here._

_Oh! That explains it._ Eri reluctantly slipped out of Tala's arms and went to answer the door.

Meanwhile…in Spencer and Clara's room **(A/N: Here ya go, Mina the Mischievous!)**

Spencer walked into the bedroom to see Clara standing by the window, looking outside with a wistful expression on her delicate features. She didn't even notice him until he walked up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She gave a little start but quickly relaxed at seeing Spencer. "Oh, Spencer, it's just you," she said softly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Spencer apologized.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just thinking," Clara replied, leaning against him.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked with concern. "You looked sad." Clara looked down at the ground, and the sorrow returned to her eyes. Spencer sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his lap. "If something's bothering you, please tell me. I don't like seeing you in pain." He rubbed her back soothingly.

"Well…I'm actually worried about Tammy," Clara began. Spencer waited for her to continue. "She just hasn't been herself lately. I know she sometimes has trouble controlling her anger, but she only acts like that to cover up the pain she feels in her heart."

"Does her pain stem from her past with Biovolt?" Spencer asked.

Clara nodded. "She got the worst treatment out of the three of us. The scientists did terrible experiments to her to erase her emotions. However…even when she started to lose her emotions, she still looked out for me and Amy. She was the oldest, so I looked up to her like a big sister. Even now, she still carries the scars from our time in the Abbey because she won't talk to someone about it." Spencer nodded in understanding. Soon after he and Clara started dating, she came out and told him everything she had gone through at the U.S. Abbey. Many tears were shed that night, but he remembered seeing the relief in her eyes once she was done talking. In the end, it had made her a stronger person. Unfortunately, Tammy still didn't have enough trust in anyone to talk about her past.

"Don't worry, Clara. We're all gonna do our best to help her. That's what friends are for, right?" Spencer said with a smile.

Clara looked up at him and returned the smile. "You're right. Thanks, Spencer. You're the best. Spencer wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace and kissed her softly on the lips. They just sat there in each other's arms for a while in a comfortable silence…until they heard the doorbell ring.

"I wonder who that is," Clara wondered as she and Spencer got up to see what all the commotion was about.

Back with Eri…

Eri unlocked and opened the door to see Robert, Johnny, Oliver, and Enrique standing before her. "Hey, guys! Glad you could make it!" Eri greeted.

"Thank you for inviting us to join you here in Switzerland," Oliver replied politely.

"ERI! HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!" Enrique suddenly exclaimed out of the blue. He never missed an opportunity to hit on a girl, even if she was already taken. He lunged forward, arms outspread to hug her, but Eri casually side-stepped so he hit the floor instead with a loud THUMP. "Ouch! What did you do that for?" he whined.

"For hitting on me, you baka. You know I'm dating Tala," she retorted. The rest of the Majestics entered the lodge, glaring at their teammate.

"I apologize for his uncouth behavior," Robert stated. "We have tried…though unsuccessfully…to break him of that undesirable habit."

Tala walked in, appraised the situation, and wrapped an arm around Eri's shoulders possessively. He glared at Enrique, who was picking himself off the floor, and warned dangerously, "Don't do that again, if you know what's good for you. We may have to have that little talk again…"

"No way, man!" Enrique exclaimed, holding up his hands in defeat. "The last time we had a 'little talk,' I wound up with a black eye!"

"Which you obviously deserved," Johnny remarked, crossing his hands over his chest. By this time, everyone else had gathered in the main room to see what all the commotion was about. They spent the next hour talking with the Majestics and catching up on old times. Well…Enrique tried hitting on all the girls, only to get threatened by their boyfriends. The only one missing from the group was Tammy.

One hour later…

Eri's attention was diverted from her conversation with Oliver by the sound of the front door opening and closing. 'That must be Michelle and Kai.' Sure enough, the couple walked into the room right on cue.

"All right, the Majestics finally made it!" Michelle exclaimed happily. She looked pointedly at Robert and remarked, "Well, lookit who we have here! It's Mr. You-are-so-uncouth himself!"

"Good to see you as well, Michelle," Robert replied dryly.

She decided to pick on Johnny next. "Hey, it's Mr. I-hate-chess-because-I-always-lose!" Michelle chirped.

Johnny sent her a death glare. "Shut up," he muttered angrily.

"Michelle! How have you been doing, honey? I've missed you!" Enrique cooed, hitting on yet another girl. Kai punched him in the jaw. "Ow! What did you do that for, Kai?" he whined, rubbing his bruised jaw.

"Idiot," Kai muttered under his breath.

"Oh yeah, how could I forget about Mr. I-hit-on-every-girl-I-see-because-I-have-commitment-issues?" Michelle teased. She glanced at Oliver. "And finally, we have Mr…well, I won't pick on you because you're actually nice." Oliver smiled politely in gratitude.

Just then, Tammy walked into the room. Enrique's jaw dropped open. "Wow…who's this hot chick?" he asked. Tammy just glared at him as he knelt in front of her, grabbed her hand, and said, "Where have you been all my life, honey?"

That did it for Tala. He grabbed Enrique by the ear, hauled him to his feet, and dragged him into another room, shutting the door with a bang. His angry voice echoed back into the main room. "…Let me lay down a few ground rules for you. Never -punch- hit -kick- on my -Enrique's scream- sister again!" The room was deadly quiet as Tala walked back in and calmly sat down beside Eri. "What? We were just having a man-to-man chat," he said innocently. Enrique groaned in pain in the other room, and Tammy snickered quietly. The silence was broken by the sound of wood splitting upstairs. Everyone minus the Majestics, Michelle, and Kai ran upstairs to see what was wrong.

In Eri and Tala's room…

Eri flung open the door to the bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks. Tala came up behind her and stopped abruptly at what he saw. Eri's bed was split down the middle and lay in a messy heap on the floor. Standing beside the wreckage was none other than Max. "Max! What happened in here?" Eri asked in bewilderment.

"Uh…IT WAS MICHELLE'S IDEA! DON'T KILL ME!" Max cried, cowering in a corner to avoid Tala and Eri's death glares.

"All right…who's been giving him sugar?" Tala asked.

Meanwhile…in Bryan and Tammy's room…

Tammy and Bryan burst through the door of their bedroom and let it hit the wall with a bang. Tammy's bed was broken as well, and sitting on the pile of split wood and torn sheets was none other than Tyson. "Tyson…why I oughta…" Tammy ground out through gritted teeth while clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Hehehehehe…oops," Tyson stammered sheepishly.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

In the main room…

Michelle buried her head in Kai's shoulder to stifle her laughter. She felt like her sides would split. "This is too funny!" she cried while tears streamed down her face.

"Are you sure this is gonna help with your plan?" Kai asked skeptically.

"Of course it will!" Michelle exclaimed confidently. She had finally quieted her laughter.

"Okay…explain to me again how we factor in to your scheme to hook up Bryan and Tammy," Johnny demanded.

"Okay, I had you guys come over later because a) we have no spare bedrooms, and b) if you had been here from the beginning, Tammy would have killed Enrique long ago," Michelle explained. "I paid off Tyson and Max in candy to go break Eri and Tammy's beds, and now you guys help them get revenge." **(A/N: Tyson and Max had to wait until Tammy came downstairs before they could sneak off to fulfill their little mission.)**

"Okay, I can understand why you would do that to Tammy, but why Eri?" Robert asked. "She's already dating Tala and doesn't need any help in her relationship."

"Hehehehehehe…I just felt like being evil. She needs to loosen up a bit." The Majestics all rolled their eyes as Michelle burst out laughing again.

"MICHELLE, JUST WAIT TIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Eri roared from upstairs.

"Uh-oh…" Michelle gulped.

End chapter 7

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it, folks! A cliff-hanger! So how will they get revenge on Tyson and Max? You'll just have to wait to find out! Sorry this chapter took me so long. I had a little writer's block, and I've been really busy. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! 


	8. Chapter 8: Revenge is Sweet

Silvan Arrow: Okay, here's the chapter to take care of the cliffie from last time.

Tammy: Oh yeah! We get revenge!

Tyson and Max: Uh-oh… -gulp-

Eri: So…what should we do to them first?

Tammy: Hey, how about making them do the disclaimer?

Eri: Great idea! -glares at Tyson and Max- Boys, if you would be so kind?

Tyson and Max: Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs.

Silvan Arrow: Thanks, guys. Okay, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 8: Revenge is Sweet

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**(A/N: My best friend actually came up with this prank. She wanted me to give her credit, so…yeah. Also, the prank doesn't really contribute to the whole match-making scheme, but it does add to the humor factor.)**

Eri and Tammy stomped angrily down the stairs and into the main room, followed by Tala and Bryan, and glared at Michelle. "Okay, this little 'accident' has your fingerprints all over it, Michelle," Eri started, crossing her arms across her chest. "You'd better start talking fast."

"Hey, I don't know what got into them," Michelle lied, holding up her hands innocently. "They must have gotten into my stash of pocky while I wasn't looking and gotten on a sugar high. But the Majestics know how you can get revenge on them!"

"Keep talking," Tammy stated, her interest now piqued.

"Okay, here's the plan," Michelle started, whispering the plan in their ears. Eri and Tammy grinned madly and glanced at each other. This was gonna be sweet…

Thirty minutes later…

Tyson and Max were hiding in Tyson's closet to avoid certain death at the hands of Eri and Tammy. "Do you think it's safe to leave now, Maxie?" Tyson whispered.

"I don't know. Why don't you go outside and check?" Max whispered back.

"I'm not going! You go!" Tyson hissed.

"Okay, how about we do rock-paper-scissors to decide?" Max suggested.

"Sure, whatever." Tyson chose paper and Max chose scissors; therefore, as the loser, Tyson had to go see if the situation had cooled down enough to wander around freely without fear of bodily injury. 'This is the last time I ever do any favors for Michelle, even if there is food at stake,' he thought.

_I tried to tell you that this was a bad idea,_ Dragoon interjected.

Tyson rolled his eyes. _I'll pretend I didn't hear that._ He sneaked down the stairs and checked the main room. No one was there. 'Hm…that's weird. Where did everybody go?' He heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, so he decided to investigate.

* * *

_Eri, Tyson approaches._

_Thanks, Pyrix. Tell the others to go ahead with the plan._

_I shall do so immediately.

* * *

_

"Robert, what do you think you're doing?" a voice yelled from the kitchen.

'Wait…is that…Kenny?' Tyson wondered.

Another voice started laughing wickedly. "Why, Kenny, surely someone of your intelligence could guess. Prepare to meet your doom!"

"No, Robert! Don't! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tyson's heart leapt in his throat when he heard something hit the floor with a loud thud. **(A/N: I know what you're thinking, but this is not a character death fic. Just keep reading.)**

"Oh no! Kenny!" Tyson exclaimed as he raced into the kitchen. "What's going…on?" he trailed off as his eyes took in the whole scene. Kenny was laying face-down on the kitchen floor, surrounded by a pool of…blood? Robert was standing over the motionless body, holding a huge cooking knife that was covered in the same red substance. He looked up and turned a murderous glare on Tyson. Tyson's eyes widened in horror, and he screamed, "OH MY GOSH! ROBERT KILLED KENNY!" He dashed out of the kitchen and pounded up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. Meanwhile, Michelle, Kai, Eri, Tala, Tammy, and Bryan were hiding behind the far doorway into the kitchen, trying to stifle their gut-wrenching laughter. So far so good…

With Max…

Max had heard Tyson shout but couldn't quite make out all the words. He gave a start as the closet door flew open, and Tyson collapsed on the floor in front of him. "Tyson, what's wrong? Why did you scream?" Max asked.

"Robert…he…he…" Tyson stammered.

Max grabbed Tyson by the shoulders and shook him to snap him back to reality. "He what? Come on, Tyson. Tell me!"

"He…KILLED KENNY!"

"WHAT?"

"You gotta help me, Maxie! We've gotta do something before Robert kills anybody else! He's a murderer! A murderer, I tell you!" The two teens scrambled out of the closet and headed back downstairs to face Robert. When they were nearing the bottom of the stairwell, Tyson motioned for Max to stop, as they heard more voices in the kitchen.

"Hey, Robert, what's u-… What happened? Did you do this?" They recognized that voice as Johnny's.

"Uh-oh, looks like I've been found out again. Well, your fate will be the same as the others," Robert replied deviously.

"No, Robert! Please! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Another body hit the floor with a thud. Tyson and Max gasped in terror and ran into the kitchen, only to stop dead in their tracks at the sight that lay before their eyes. In addition to Kenny, now Enrique, Oliver, and, most recently, Johnny lay on the floor covered in blood.

"OH MY GOSH! ROBERT KILLED JOHNNY!" Max yelled.

"AND THE REST OF THE MAJESTICS TOO!" Tyson added. They both ran running and screaming up the stairs. Once they reached Tyson's room, they closed and locked the door before collapsing on the floor, breathing heavily. "Do you…think he's…after us?" Tyson asked between breaths.

"I dunno," Max replied. "But we should be safe in here."

_CLICK._

"What was that?" Tyson asked in alarm. He whirled around to look at the doorknob, which started to turn. He and Max could only watch as the door opened slowly with a creak, and Robert walked in, followed by Kenny, Oliver, Enrique, and Johnny.

"Ready to meet your doom, boys?" Robert asked with a wicked grin as he held up his kitchen knife. Oliver had a frying pan, Enrique brandished a baseball bat, and Kenny held some rope. Johnny didn't have a weapon but instead cracked his knuckles menacingly. All four of Robert's "victims" were still covered in blood.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! ROBERT'S GONNA KILL US!" Tyson screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S THE GHOSTS OF KENNY AND THE MAJESTICS!" Max screamed.

"Any last words?" Robert asked to the two teens who were trying to scoot away from their impending death.

"HAVE MERCY!" Tyson and Max pleaded.

And then…the unthinkable happened.

Robert laughed.

So did his "victims."

"GOTCHA!"

Tyson and Max turned to look at the open doorway, where Eri, Michelle, and Tammy were sprawled on the floor laughing uncontrollably. The Majestics and Kenny were laughing too. "Tyson, Robert didn't really kill us," Kenny explained. "We staged the whole thing!"

"Then why are you covered in blood?" Max asked.

"It's ketchup, you idiots!" Johnny exclaimed.

Tyson and Max looked at each other, looked at the people in the room, and then…passed out from shock.

Later…

"Well, it's been fun and all, but I think it's time we headed home," Oliver stated. He and his teammates were gathered on the foyer saying goodbye to all the bladers. They had washed off the ketchup so they didn't look like the walking dead.

"Yeah, we'll see you guys later!" Enrique said. Robert and Johnny waved, and the Majestics left to go back to their respective countries.

All was silent for a few moments as the teens watched them leave, but then Eri turned to Michelle and started calmly, "Now, about this whole situation with breaking mine and Tammy's beds…"

"Uh…see ya," Michelle said quickly before she dashed off to her room and locked and barricaded the door.

Later that night…in Eri and Tala's room…

"Urgh…I'm gonna kill Michelle," Eri complained from her side of the single bed that she now had to share with Tala.

Tala chuckled at his girlfriend's predicament. "Aww…I feel so unloved," he said playfully with a fake pouty face. Of course, Eri couldn't see his pout because her back was facing him. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You know deep down that you secretly don't mind." Eri was glad the room was dark to hide her blush. When she didn't answer, he smirked and wrapped an arm around her waist, making her body stiffen instinctively. He planted a trail of soft, teasing kisses down her neck until he hit a ticklish spot. She squirmed slightly and tried hard not to giggle. "Oh, ticklish are we?" Tala teased and kissed that same spot in the crook of her neck again.

"Tala…stop it," Eri said between giggles as she covered that spot with her hand. "Some people are trying to sleep."

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," Tala teased. He pulled her closer and drifted off to sleep.

'Okay, I can understand why Michelle paid off Tyson to break Tammy's bed, but why does she have to do this to me?' Eri thought.

_Ha-ha. Eri's embarrassed,_ Pyrix commented in a sing-song tone of voice.

_Zip it, Pyrix,_ Eri muttered. 'Well…I guess things could be worse. Maybe this isn't so bad.' With those last thoughts, she snuggled back into Tala's chest and fell asleep.

In Bryan and Tammy's room…This'll be good…

"I can't believe this! The nerve of that woman! Just wait til I get my hands on her!" Tammy ranted as she paced back and forth in her pajamas. Bryan was just lying on his bed watching the scene before him rather amusedly.

"Uh…Tammy?" he cut in.

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you just gonna rant all night, or are you gonna actually try and get some sleep?" Bryan asked with a slight smirk.

Tammy huffed in frustration and reluctantly crawled under the covers next to Bryan. She tried to put as much distance between herself and the male teen as possible, but she couldn't go far thanks to the size of the bed. Bryan rolled over on his side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "W-what are you doing?" she demanded, trying to hide her blush.

"You'll fall off if you scoot over any more," Bryan stated matter-of-factly. He pulled her a couple of inches closer. Tammy noted how close they were and looked down so he couldn't see how red her face was getting. "What's wrong? You didn't seem to mind when you were having trouble sleeping last night."

"N-nothing," she stammered. She regained her composure, gave him a hard stare, and threatened, "If you try anything I _will_ break your neck. There won't be anything left of your corpse for Tala to beat up either."

Bryan laughed softly. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind." He closed his eyes, and Tammy watched as his breathing evened out, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

'Sheesh…what's wrong with me?' Tammy asked herself. 'Why does he affect me like this? Do I like him just as a friend…or something more?' She decided to let this little inner conversation wait until tomorrow and just get some sleep for now.

End chapter 8

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Author's Note: So…how did you guys like this one? Was the prank funny? Actually, my best friend Michelle came up with the whole Robert going on a killing spree thing while we were talking on the internet. I had fun writing this chapter, especially when Tyson and Max freaked out. I hope everyone enjoyed the BryanTammy fluff! Will those two ever get together? You'll just have to wait and find out! In the meantime, please review! 


	9. Chapter 9: Amusement Park Confessions

Silvan Arrow: Phew…I'm finally back with a new chappie!

Tammy: You've been lazy lately.

Silvan Arrow: No I haven't! I've been busy getting ready for college!

Amy: Sure…sure, that's what they all say.

Silvan Arrow: Well, if you're gonna be like that, then you can just do the disclaimer!

Amy: Oh FINE! Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs.

Silvan Arrow: Thank you! By the way, this chapter was inspired by ideas from ZorraVixen10187798 and whyamidoingthis01. Thanks a million for the help! While I continue to prepare for college, enjoy reading this next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 9: Amusement Park Confessions

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**Tammy's memories**

In Bryan and Tammy's room…

A shaft of warm sunlight streamed through the window and alighted across Tammy's closed eyes, waking her up. She stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes. 'What is that…and why is therean armaround my waist?' she wondered in a semi-conscious state. As her blurry vision cleared, she came face-to-face with a familiar Russian. 'Bryan!' She bolted upright in bed in surprise, jerking Bryan awake as well. And then…THUD!

"Huh? Tammy?" Bryan asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. He leaned over the edge of the bed and found her sprawled in a heap on the floor with an angry glare on her face. "Why are you on the floor?"

"What do you think, genius? I fell!" Tammy snapped. 'These beds are SO not meant for two people.' The sheets were tangled around her legs, so she couldn't get up.

Bryan chuckled softly and smirked. "Here, let me help." He got up and walked over to her, extending a hand. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull herself up, but she tripped over the sheets again and fell over, knocking Bryan down in the process. He landed on his back with Tammy on top.

"Oops…sorry," Tammy said sheepishly with a major blush.

"N-no problem," Bryan stammered. Then he started laughing.

"And what is so funny, mister?" Tammy demanded. But Bryan's laughter was positively contagious. This wasn't just a chuckle. This was a full-out belly laugh. Tammy tried to stifle a giggle. "Stop…stop laughing!" But it was no use. She burst out laughing as well until tears were streaming down both of their faces.

At breakfast…

"What was all that noise coming from your room, Tammy?" Tyson asked. "It sounded like you were laughing."

"Huh? Oh, it was nothing," Tammy replied quickly, trying to avoid the knowing looks the girls were giving her. She decided to change the subject before someone else started interrogating her. "So…what's the plan for today?"

"We're going to an amusement park!" Michelle announced cheerfully.

"What? Who goes to an amusement park when there's four feet of snow on the ground?" Bryan asked in bewilderment.

"We're taking a bus down the mountain," Eri explained. "It's actually one of the warmer parts of the year right now in Switzerland, and there's no snow in the lower altitudes. It'll still be a bit nippy, like in the 40s and 50s, so dress warmly."

Twenty minutes later everyone was on a chartered bus heading down the mountain. Unfortunately, Tyson took this as an opportunity to resume his sing-a-long from when he was so rudely interrupted a few days ago.

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…"

"TYSON, SHUT UP!" everyone else yelled.

"Fine…ruin my fun again…" Tyson grumbled as he slumped back in his seat and scowled. Hilary gave him a peck on the cheek, and he blushed bright red.

Thirty more minutes later…

"Wow…this is the amusement park?" Ian asked in amazement. The rest of his teammates bore equally dazed expressions. This place was huge! Hundreds of people milled around inside the park waiting to go on dozens of different rides.

"Yup!" Michelle replied with a grin. "We've got the whole day to spend here, so enjoy to your heart's content!" She gave Eri a conspiratorial wink. It was time for the next phase of Operation Match-Making. Objective: Spark some romance between Bryan and Tammy in an amusement park!

"This place is so big. Where should we go first?" Eri asked.

"I say it would be the most time-efficient if we went in smaller groups of two or three. That way we can cover more ground and spend less time waiting in lines," Emily explained logically.

"I guess that makes sense," Mariam mused.

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go in the house of mirrors! Come on, Kai!" Michelle exclaimed. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. Kai looked indifferent to the whole situation.

"Hey, I wanna go on the ferris wheel! Come on, Rei!" Mariah chirped, dragging Rei off in the opposite direction. He just smiled good-naturedly and went along quietly. One by one each of girls went in a different direction with their boyfriends until only two people remained: Bryan and Tammy.

'Oh great. I'm here in an amusement park…all alone…with Bryan,' Tammy thought miserably as her heart started racing. 'What am I gonna do without making a complete idiot of myself?'

_Uh…just play it cool?_ Umbra suggested.

_You're not much help, Umbra,_ Tammy replied.

Bryan broke into Tammy's mental chat. "So…do you know much about amusement parks?" he asked uncertainly. He had never been to one, so he was more than a little nervous.

"Um…not really. I guess we're both pretty much in the dark," Tammy replied with a shy smile. "Wanna justwalk straight ahead and see where that takes us?"

"Sure. Why not?" Bryan said with a smile. So now that the ice was broken, they headed down the path toward the center of the park. **(A/N: My friend Michelle originally came up with that whole "ditch the two reluctant lovebirds and force them to spend time together" prank for one of my earlier fics that I wrote for fun. It's not on this site.)**

One hour later…

Bryan and Tammy had been thoroughly enjoying themselves so far. They had played some games in the game area of the park and ridden the bumper cars. They had competed to see who could hit the other the most. "I'm telling you, I hit your car at least six times," Bryan argued, trying to win the argument of who had won.

"No way, you barely grazed me that last time!" Tammy objected, punching him playfully on the arm. "I beat your wimpy car to smithereens!"

"Sure. Fine. Whatever you say," he said, finally giving in.

"What, so you're just gonna give up and let me win? You're such a jerk!" Tammy exclaimed. "You're probably just going easy on me because I'm a girl."

"N-no! It's not that!" Bryan stammered, trying desperately not to blow it with Tammy. Then Falborg gave him a brilliant idea. "How about I say you won if you let me pick the next ride?"

This proposition piqued Tammy's interest. "Okay, sounds good. But you'd better not pick something wimpy just to be nice or I'll kick your butt!"

"Okay, okay!" Bryan said, holding up his hands in surrender. He looked around as they walked and finally found something good. "I pick that ride." Tammy followed Bryan's gaze to a roller coaster that went through a haunted house. "Looks scary enough."

"Fine. Bring it on," Tammy stated confidently. Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, so they got through it pretty quickly. The actual roller coaster consisted of small, connected carts that each seated two people. Both teens sat in a cart near the front, buckled their seat belts, and secured the safety bar over their laps **(A/N: The track doesn't go through any loops, so they don't need the harness that goes over their heads.)**. Soon the wheels started to creak as the coaster lurched forward. The ride inched slowly up the first ramp, paused at the very top, and sped down the first drop at breakneck speed. Tammy whooped and hollered in exhilaration while Bryan stayed silent. After about a minute into the ride, the coaster took them through the haunted house, where those cheesy fake monsters pop out of nooks and crannies in the walls to scare the passengers. Suddenly, the roller coaster jerked hard to one side, and a sharp grinding sound pierced the air as one side of the wheels came off the track. The passengers screamed in terror just before the ride screeched to a stop halfway up another ramp. "W-what just happened?" Tammy asked frantically, her heart still pounding from fright.

Bryan looked over the edge of the cart and assessed the situation. "Some of the wheels slid off the track. It looks like the ride's broken down."

"Oh great…just what we needed," Tammy grumbled as she slumped back in her seat and sighed heavily. 'Can things get any worse?' Then a small boy started crying, and his mother tried unsuccessfully to hush him. 'Yep…it just got worse.'

A voice came on over the loud speakers in the haunted house: "Attention passengers, we are experiencing some minor technical difficulties. A rescue crew is on its way, so please remain calm. We will remove younger children first, followed by parents and then young adults. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while," Bryan mused. He looked over at Tammy. "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine," Tammy replied. Her eyes wandered all around the haunted house, which had stopped working since the power failed. It was pitch black, with only a tiny speck of light at the top of the ramp, where the track led back out into the open air. The darkness dredged up old, painful memories for Tammy.

The black walls of the haunted house, leading to a speck of light at the end of a long tunnel…

**A hallway made completely of stone, leading to nothing but more darkness…**

The fake blood on the haunted house's walls and ceiling…

**A punishment chamber that reeked of death and bore the crimson stains of dozens of helpless victims…**

The silhouette of a fake vampire hiding around the corner, waiting to jump out and scare the passengers…

**The ominous shadow cast on the floor as the drill instructor entered the punishment chamber, whip in hand, her eyes filled with hate and bloodlust.**

Bryan snapped out of his light doze at the sound of a familiar whimper. Tammy was hunched over in her seat, gripping her head in her hands while silent tears streamed down her face. "Tammy, what's wrong?" Bryan asked, immediately alarmed.

"I want out of here. Please get me out of here," Tammy begged. Her voice was so quiet that Bryan had to strain his ears to catch her words. "Don't let her get me."

Bryan was confused. What was she so scared of? "Don't let who get you? Tammy, all the monsters in here are fake. There's nothing that can get you."

"You don't understand… She could come back anytime. She'll kill me!" Tammy said fearfully. Sobs racked her slender frame.

"Wait…are you talking about your past?" Bryan prodded gently. "Does this place bring back bad memories?" Tammy nodded slightly, and Bryan reached over and pulled her into his arms. "You should have told me. I never would have forced you into this. I'm so sorry." Tammy buried her head in his chest and cried bitterly while he held her close. When she finally stopped crying, Bryan placed his hands on her shoulders and held out at arms' length. "Tammy, look at me." She reluctantly raised her tear-stained face to meet his gentle gaze. "Look, I know you went through a miserable past, but I can't help you if you won't tell me about it. If you keep all that pain inside, it could destroy you physically and emotionally, and I couldn't stand to see you suffer like that. Won't you please talk to me? You can trust me."

Tammy was silent for several long moments. She finally replied softly, "You're right, and I do trust you, but it's just…so painful for me to remember. I can't talk about it without breaking down completely."

Bryan pulled her close again. "Well, my shoulder's here if you need to cry some more," he whispered in her ear. **(A/N: Awww! Bryan's so sweet!)**

Tammy felt safe in his arms, and his words had comforted her immensely. Maybe…just maybe…she could tell him. She managed a small smile and said the words Bryan had desperately wanted to hear: "Okay…I'll tell you."

Over the next hour, Tammy poured her heart out explaining her past life in the U.S. Abbey. She started from when she and Tala were separated and talked about all the torture she went through, from the cruel experiments to the constant, brutal training to the abuse she had endured at the hands of her team's heartless drill instructor. At some especially painful parts she just had to stop and let out her pent-up emotions before she could find the voice to keep talking. Bryan's jacket was thoroughly soaked with her tears by the time she finished.

Bryan was in total shock from Tammy's story. He had no idea she had gone through so much. "I…can't believe you had to endure all of that torture," he muttered. "You drill instructor makes Boris look like an angel."

"Yeah…but at least she's in jail now," Tammy replied. She paused for a moment and then added. "You were right, Bryan. I do feel better now that I've gotten all of that off my chest."

"Yeah, and onto my jacket," Bryan joked, indicating the wet spots where she had cried. Both teens laughed softly at that comment. Just then the rescue crew pulled up to their cart. The rescue people had gotten all the children and adults out, so now it was finally their turn. "Ah, what great timing. Looks like we're finally getting out of here."

Meanwhile…

"What's taking them so long?" Tala asked impatiently as he paced back and forth in front of the exit of the ride that Bryan and Tammy had gone on. "They should have gotten out already."

"Tala, you heard what the park officials said. They wanted to get the parents and children out first, so we'll just have to wait," Eri replied calmly, trying to reassure Tala, who's brotherly instincts had kicked into overdrive. The rest of the group was sitting down on some benches, wisely keeping quiet and giving Tala some space. Eri laid a hand on Tala's shoulder, stopping his frantic pacing. "Why don't you go sit down? Walking around in circles is not going to help matters."

"I swear, if anything happens to Tammy, I'll…"

"Hey! There they are!" Rei suddenly exclaimed. Tala whirled around, and, sure enough, Bryan and Tammy came walking out of the ride's exit. Bryan had an arm around Tammy's shoulders, and Tammy looked exhausted.

Tala and Eri rushed up to greet the duo. "What happened in there? I was worried sick!" Tala exclaimed.

"Aw, it was nothing. The ride broke down, we waited and waited, and we finally got rescued!" Tammy chirped. "So stop worrying so much, bro!" She gave him a playful smack on the arm and tried to look cheerful at least for her brother's sake.

"Well…all right. Just so long as you're not hurt," Tala conceded, finally allowing his blood pressure to drop for the first time in the past hour.

"Now that you're here, we can head back to the lodge. It's getting late," Eri interjected.

On the way back home, Umbra explained what had happened between Bryan and Tammy to Pyrix, who in turn relayed the message to the rest of the bladers. Everyone was a little disappointed that they hadn't confessed their undying love for each other, but this was definitely progress. Tala was shocked that Tammy had finally opened up to someone, but a small doubt still kept nagging at his heart. She had poured out every excruciating detail to Bryan instead of her own twin brother. Did she just not trust him? Had he really failed his job as a brother? He glanced back at Bryan and Tammy, who were sitting near the back of the bus. His sister was sound asleep, snuggled up next to Bryan, who had an arm around her waist, with her head on his shoulder. The day's events had completely drained her physically and emotionally. Bryan, on the other hand, was feeling happier now than he had felt in a long time. He had achieved something that he had wanted for a long time.

He had earned Tammy's trust.

End chapter 9

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Author's Note: Whew…I'm finally finished with the chappie! Sorry if it took me so long to update. I've been preoccupied with college stuff, like meeting my roommate and working on some summer reading, but at least you get to read this nice long chapter to make up for it! This was probably the most BryanTammy-centric chapter so far, so I hoped you enjoyed it! As always, I greatly appreciate all the feedback from you wonderful reviewers! PLEASE REVIEW! 


	10. Chapter 10: Confused Emotions

Silvan Arrow: AAAAAHHHH! It's been so long since I updated!

Tammy: Gosh, you're so lazy.

Silvan Arrow: Shut up. I've been very busy lately. Now do the disclaimer!

Tammy: But I've already done it, and so have your other OCs.

Silvan Arrow: Darn it… Fine, I'll do it this time. I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters. I just own this story and my OCs. While I decide who to rope into doing this tedious chore next, here's chapter 10!

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Chapter 10: Confused Emotions

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**(A/N: This is another serious chapter that is needed to set up the next one. I'll try to include some humor in the next chapter. For now, please enjoy!)**

Tammy woke up the next morning feeling something warm against her back. As the fog around her mind slowly lifted, she realized that it was Bryan and blushed bright red as her throat went dry. He had one arm draped lazily across her waist, and she could feel his warm breath tickle the back of her neck as he deeply inhaled and exhaled. 'Crap…what the heck is wrong with me?' Tammy thought desperately. 'Why do I feel like I can't even breathe, let alone talk? I've gotta get out of here.' She slowly lifted his arm up and slid out from under it. She slipped out of bed as quietly as possible and tip-toed for the door. However, as luck would have it, she stepped on a creaky floor board, and she grimaced as it groaned loudly in protest to her weight. 'Oh please don't let him wake up. Please please PLEASE don't let him wake up.'

Bryan moaned slightly as he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Tammy didn't move; quite frankly, she couldn't move. Her body just wouldn't listen to her mind screaming at her to do something. Bryan noticed that Tammy wasn't beside him. He sat up and saw her with her back to him, apparently heading for the door. He yawned lazily and asked, "What are you doing up so early, Tammy?"

Tammy somehow managed to find her voice and squeaked out, "Uh…nothing! M-morning…" With that, she quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, slamming it a little harder than she had intended. 'I have got to clear my head. Maybe I just need some food.' She headed downstairs and entered the kitchen only to find Eri and Michelle in there cooking breakfast for the others. 'Great…so much for being alone for a while.'

"Oh hey, Tammy!" Eri greeted. "I didn't think you would be up for a while."

Tammy cast her gaze to the side and replied a bit uncertainly, "Uh…well, I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so…"

Michelle could tell she was feeling uneasy, so she decided to change the subject. "Eri and I were just talking about all us girls going out for the day. We have a rental van in the garage that's big enough. You interested?"

"Uh…sure. Sounds great," Tammy replied, trying to sound enthused but failing miserably. "I'd better go get changed." She headed back upstairs and listened at her room's closed door. Upon hearing nothing, she opened the door slightly and peered inside. 'Good. Bryan's not here.' She walked over to her closet and rummaged around for some clothes. After picking out what she needed, she turned around and ran smack into another body. "Oof…sorry."

"Hey." She looked up and saw that it was none other than Bryan. Her eyes widened slightly in alarm, and she quickly diverted her gaze and started heading for the door. "Wait up a minute, Tammy." She stopped and felt his hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay? You've been acting a little distant."

"I'm…fine. It's nothing," Tammy replied, still keeping her gaze diverted.

"Tammy, look at me," Bryan said gently. He cupped her face in one hand and forced her to look him in the eye. "I know something's bothering you. Is it about yesterday?" Perhaps she was still a little uncomfortable with someone knowing about her past.

"I already told you. It's nothing," Tammy replied sharply. Bryan could tell that he had pushed her too far, so he let her pull out of his grip and stalk out of the room. She didn't even notice when she shoved past Tala and continued down the hall.

"Hey, Tammy, are you okay?" Tala asked worriedly.

Tammy stopped and sighed angrily. "Why can't all you people just leave me alone?" she yelled, sending Tala a stormy glare. She stepped into the hall bathroom to change, slamming the door in the process. This time it was intentional. The sound echoed through the whole lodge and woke up anyone that was still asleep.

'Bryan,' Tala thought angrily as he stormed into Bryan and Tammy's room, where the Russian in question was still standing where Tammy had left him, looking terribly confused. Before his mind could tell him otherwise, Tala shoved Bryan roughly against the wall, keeping both hands plantedfirmly on his shoulders. Bryan seemed to wilt even more under Tala's furious death glare. "All right, you're gonna tell what's going on. Why is Tammy so upset? Did you do something to hurt her?"

"I-I don't know what's wrong with her!" the younger teen protested desperately. "She wouldn't even look me in the eye this morning, and when I asked her to tell me what's wrong, she just brushed me off and stormed away. I swear I don't know what I did!"

Tala's gaze softened somewhat. He could see no lie in Bryan's lilac eyes. He loosened his grip on his teammate's shoulders and stepped away with a grunt. "Sorry…I didn't mean to lash out like that. I know you wouldn't do anything to her intentionally."

"It's okay," Bryan said as he massaged his left shoulder. "Dang…you've got quite a grip." Tala chuckled softly. He could tell Bryan was trying to ease the tension in the room and left without another word. After all, what could he say that could possibly atone for how he had acted?

* * *

Eri was troubled. She and Pyrix could sense the tension among certain members in the group, namely Tammy, Bryan, and Tala. So far no the breakfast table was deathly quiet, like what one would expect at a funeral, not a vacation. Bryan and Tammy were sitting next to each other, but neither one would even risk a glance at the other. Eri and Tala sat across from them, but Tala kept sneaking glances at his sister, ignoring everyone else at the table. Tammy wouldn't even acknowledge her brother's presence, even though it was obvious he was worried about her. Eri hated seeing Tala so closed off. Clara and Amy were on edge, having picked up on their captain's moody behavior. Spencer and Ian gave their girlfriends sympathetic looks. The Bladebreakers were eerily quiet as well. Kai seemed indifferent to the whole situation, but the others bore expression portraying various levels of concern. Even Tyson and Max were quiet, which was unusual for them.

Michelle finally decided to break the suffocating silence. "I'm taking the girls out for the day, and we won't be back until after dinner. Okay?" The guys just nodded or grunted in response. She sighed in frustration and smacked her palm on the table, causing some of the group to give a start. "For crying out loud, we're not in a funeral home or anything, so liven up!" Still no response. Eri couldn't take this anymore. She got up abruptly and left the dining room, much to everyone's surprise. She retreated to hers and Tala's bedroom, closed the door, and flopped down face-first on the bed.

_What went wrong, Pyrix? I thought Tammy was starting to open up to Bryan, but now it's like everything's backfired._

_She's experiencing new, unfamiliar emotions towards Bryan, and it's scaring and confusing her,_ Pyrix replied calmly. _That in turn is affecting Bryan, and Tala just doesn't know how to help, even though it's his own sister that's suffering. Now everyone's concerned._

_Maybe a day out will help settle things down,_ Eri mused. Her conversation was interrupted when the door opened and Eri caught Michelle out of the corner of her eye. "What do you want?" Eri asked, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"Just making sure you don't do something stupid," Michelle replied, her voice holding a slightly teasing note.

"Like what?"

Michelle shrugged. "I dunno. This is you we're talking about." Eri laughed softly. Michelle sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Eri's back soothingly. "What's the matter, buddy? We've got enough of an emotional basket-case with Tammy. We don't need you flipping out too."

"I dunno," Eri replied, turning her head so she could see Michelle. "I just feel somewhat responsible for this."

Michelle crossed her arms and scowled slightly. "Oh come on. It's not like you were the one that ticked Tammy off."

"But I was the one who arranged this whole trip. If I hadn't called you and arranged this vacation, then…"

"Then your team would have fallen apart," Michelle cut her off. "Face it: when you called me, your team was on the verge of splitting up. I think this trip saved you guys from that. What happened this morning is just a little bump in the road, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get ready to leave. The girls are all waiting for you."

Eri sat up and grinned at her best friend. "What would I do without you to keep me sane?"

"You probably would have lost it a long time ago," Michelle replied with a grin. "Come on, buddy." Eri followed Michelle down the stairs and out the door, where the other girls were waiting. They all piled into the rental van, and Michelle drove them down the mountain for a girl's day out.

Back at the lodge with Tala…

Tala wandered through the lodge aimlessly. All the guys had dispersed to various sections of the house and were rather bored. Tyson, Max, and Rei were in the main room playing a board game, but the others were in their bedrooms doing nothing. For the first time in his life, Tala actually wanted to talk to someone when there was no one to talk to. He normally sought out solitude, unless he was with Eri, but now he really needed some advice. Who could possible answer his questions? It's not like anyone here could understand what he was going through.

Wolborg broke into Tala's thoughts: _Kai's door is open._

Tala understood his bit beast's hint but questioned the idea. _And how could Kai help me? He wouldn't understand my problem._

_But he understands **you**,_ Wolborg stated, placing emphasis on the last word. _I know your bond with him runs deep, even though you two rarely show it. Just give it some thought._ His presence faded from Tala's mind.

Tala sighed quietly, knowing Wolborg had a good point. Kai understood how his mind ticked even better than Bryan, Spencer, or Ian. Maybe…just maybe… **(A/N: This is just a little bit of friendship fluff, so don't think that it's yaoi.)**

Tala stepped quietly into Kai and Michelle's room and found his old friend lying on his back on his bed, his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed, so Tala thought that he might be asleep. "What is it, Tala?" Kai suddenly asked, startling Tala.

"Oh…I thought you were asleep."

"Well, you thought wrong," Kai replied emotionlessly, still keeping his eyes closed. He paused for a moment, as if waiting for Tala to speak. When he didn't say anything, Kai added, "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?" Tala smirked. Kai really did know him too well.

"It's about Tammy. She's been with us for several months now, and I still feel like I've let her down. I'm supposed to be her twin brother, but she won't ever tell me when something's wrong. It's like she trusts Bryan more than her own flesh and blood. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a stranger. I guess what I'm trying to ask is…how can I be a better brother to her?"

Kai opened one eye lazily and carefully regarded Tala. "And you're asking me this because…? I don't have any siblings."

"Because you threatened to use force if I didn't tell you," Tala replied with a smirk. "Besides, the only other people who have siblings here are Mariah and Tyson, and I wasn't about to go to either of them for advice."

Kai smirked. "Good point," he conceded. He patted the edge of the bed. "Sit down. You look like Tyson about to receive disciplinary training from Hiro." Tala chuckled slightly and obeyed. Kai opened both eyes and gave Tala a serious look. "Look, I'm an only child, but I still think I can understand how a brother feels when he's worried about a younger sibling. Now the whole twin thing has me baffled. Twins seem to be connected on an even deeper level. Take Raul and Julia, for instance." Tala nodded in understanding. Those two got along so well that they were the perfect tag team in double battles, and that kind of teamwork got them third place in the Tag Team World Championships. "I saw a little of how Hiro and Tyson got along. Sometimes Hiro was strict, but Tyson still knew that he cared. And then…when I joined your team for the Tag Team World Championships, Eri was there the whole time. Maybe it was just because she was Michelle's best friend…or maybe I'm just getting soft, but I still found myself looking out for her." Tala gave Kai an odd look. Kai sighed and rolled his eyes. "It wasn't like that, you idiot. I just didn't want to see her get hurt. She knew that I cared. That's why I tried to stop you from fighting Tammy when she was still under Boris' control."

"So you were watching over her the whole time like a brother?" Tala asked.

"Yeah…at least I think so." Kai sat up and looked Tala straight in the eye. "What I'm trying to say is this: there's no set formula for how to be a brother. As long as your sibling knows that you care, you're doing at least something right." Kai placed a hand on Tala's shoulder and gave him a genuine smile. "You'll figure it out. I know you will."

Tala managed a half-smile. "Thanks, Kai."

Meanwhile…at a mall with the girls…

"…Tammy? Tammy!" The redhead in question jerked her head away from the shop display and saw Mariah waving at her. "We're getting ready to leave! You coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Tammy called back. As she followed behind the other girls, she thought to herself, 'I need to sort out my feelings towards Bryan. I don't really know what I'm feeling, so I don't think I can do this alone. Maybe Tala can help, but would he even bother to listen?'

_He's your brother, Tammy. Of course he will listen,_ Umbra said reassuringly.

_Yeah, maybe you're right._

End chapter 10

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Author's Note: Okay, I think I'll stop here. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long, but time seemed to get away from me. I've had to go out of town a lot to deal with some family issues, and I've been getting ready for college. I wanted to get this chapter up before leaving again, except this time it's for fun. So…will Tammy finally open up to Tala? Will Bryan and Tammy ever confess their feelings? You'll have to keep reading to find out! In the meantime, please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!

**Read this important announcement!**

Ms. Controversy asked me in her review of the last chapter about Tammy's appearance. Well, I updated her description in my profile, and it gave me an idea. I would like to propose a friendly contest to my readers. I would love to see someone draw a picture of one of my OCs as they are described in my profile. Michelle doesn't belong to me, so she's kind of off-limits, but I would love to see a drawing of Tammy, Eri, or any of my other OCs. You could even take a swing at drawing one of their bit beasts; just don't draw Dramikun, since he's not mine. If you'll submit the links to your pictures, I'll put the best ones on my profile page for everyone to look at and admire! I promise to give credit to the artists. This isn't mandatory, so don't feel like you have to draw something. I just thought it would be fun to raise the idea up the flagpole.


	11. Chapter 11: Confession It's About Time!

Silvan Arrow: Okay, this is the chapter everybody's been waiting for! And now I would like to introduce our special guests for the disclaimer… Give it up for the Blitzkrieg Boys!

Ian: Why do we have to do this?

Silvan Arrow: Because you guys are my favorite beyblading team!

Spencer: What if we refuse?

Tala: You don't wanna know…

Silvan Arrow: Now then, take it away Bryan!

Bryan: Why me? Ask one of the others!

Silvan Arrow: Because you need to get over your stage fright if you're ever gonna sort things out with Tammy.

Bryan: -gulp- Uh…Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs and this story.

Silvan Arrow: Thank you! I have received one submission for my art contest, thanks to she-devil-16, and the link is on my profile page. The pic is of Tammy and Umbra, and it totally rocks! I'm always accepting more submissions, so you can still do a pic if you want! Okay, on with the chapter!

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Chapter 11: Confessions… It's About Time!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**(A/N: This chapter picks up right where chapter 10 left off. The girls have just gotten back from shopping.)**

The sun had dipped far below the horizon, sending the mountains into the dwindling twilight before nightfall. Kai was aroused from his light doze by a pair of headlights outside his window. _Hmmm…looks like they're back,_ he mused.

_I'm sure that makes you happy,_ Dranzer said.

_Well, Michelle's with them, so…_

_That's not what I meant. You guys still haven't had dinner,_ Dranzer pointed out, trying to contain her laughter.

_So? Not like I care…_

_Then why has your stomach been rumbling the whole time you've been asleep?_ the phoenix teased. _And I seem to recall you dreaming about a pizza and…_

_All right! Knock it off!_ Kai exclaimed in embarrassment, cutting her off. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. _Besides, it's not like I'll have to do anything about it. Tyson's probably staking out the door as we speak, ready to pounce on the girls to get them to cook something._ Dranzer laughed brightly at her master's comment. Kai really did have a sense of humor. He just chose to hide it.

_Have you ever considered a career in stand-up comedy?_ Dranzer joked.

_Not. Another. Word._ Kai stated pointedly. His bit beast wisely kept silent.

At the front door…

The chatter of the girls drifted into the quiet lodge as the door creaked open. "Ah, it's been forever since we had a girls' day out," Emily remarked.

"Yeah, last time it was a girls' day in, and we all know how that turned out," Amy said, sending a meaningful look to Eri and Michelle as they all filed inside and out of the chilly night air.

Michelle raised her hands in an innocent gesture. "Hey, it's not our fault you guys have a weird taste in-"

"FINALLY!" The girls all jumped and turned around to see a rather famished-looking Tyson. "I've been waiting forever for you to get back! We're all dying of hunger!"

"We said we wouldn't be back until AFTER dinner, you baka," Eri stated. "Or did you not catch that little bit of information?"

"Besides, Rei's here. Couldn't he cook you something?" Clara pointed out. "I thought he was supposed to be good at cooking."

"Uh…" Tyson trailed off.

"Oh great, I hate it when he just says 'uh,'" Hilary complained while rolling her eyes.

"Tyson, Rei's still unconscious," Max called from the main room as he walked to the foyer to join Tyson.

"WHAT? What do you mean Rei's still unconscious?" Mariah squealed in horror. "I swear, if you idiots did anything to him, I'll…"

"Calm down, Mariah!" a third voice exclaimed. Kenny came running up to join his delinquent teammates. "Let me explain. We were playing a board game, and Tyson snuck some catnip into his soda. He's been out for two hours."

"He woke up pretty quickly last time," Tyson said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Michelle sighed in frustration and slapped a palm to her forehead. "You guys can't do anything right, can you?" she asked in annoyance.

"Nope."

"Not really."

"Negative."

"Fine, I'll cook something. Eri, you're helping." Michelle grabbed Eri's wrist and dragged her into the kitchen.

"But…why me? They're not my teammates!" Eri protested.

"Oh…stop whining! It'll be good for you. Besides, you need to learn how to cook better so your team will stop ordering take-out every night," Michelle's voice trailed down the hall. The distinct slamming of the kitchen door abruptly ended Eri's string of unintelligible objections.

"Well…that was…" Mariam trailed off.

"…interesting," Tammy finished.

Tyson broke the awkward silence. "Oh boy! FOOD! I'll go get the rest of the guys!" He pounded up the steps and ran down the hallway, knocking on all the bedroom doors as he went. Spencer threatened to crush his windpipe if he didn't pipe down…

Once the guys had filled their stomachs, Tyson started feeling hyper again. Oh the horror… "Hey, I just got a great idea!" All eyes turned to him. "Let's play hide and seek!" **(A/N: My friend Michelle gave me the idea for hide and seek. Thanks, buddy!)**

Everyone did an anime fall, except Kai. He just sweat-dropped. "Where did THAT idea come from?" Hilary asked. "And why do we need to play now? It's getting late!"

Tyson crossed his arms and objected, "Well, we guys have been bored out of our minds all day while you girls just went out on a whim and left us high and dry."

"Hmm…he does have a point," Eri conceded, earning her some scary glares from some of the girls. "Eep! Don't hurt me!"

"Ah, I guess it couldn't hurt to play a couple of rounds," Michelle stated. When some of the girls gave her disbelieving looks, she winked at them. They caught her drift and immediately agreed to the idea. Only Tammy was left in the dark… "In fact, I'll be it first."

"YAY!" Tyson and Max cheered. They jumped up from the table, dragging along anybody that lagged behind. Everyone scattered to different sections of the house, leaving Michelle alone to count.

Eri hurried down the hallway, wondering where she could hide. 'Man, I always stunk at this game. I never can find a good hiding place.' Her mental ranting was cut short when a hand gripped her arm from behind. She whirled around to see Tala pulling her down a different hallway.

"Follow me. I know a good spot to hide," Tala said with a smirk. He opened the door to an upstairs balcony. A blast of cold air hit Eri in the face and made her shiver. "Quick. Out here."

"Are you crazy, Tala?" Eri hissed quietly so no one could hear. "It's dark, and it's freezing out there!"

Tala just shrugged. "Not even Michelle will think to look out here. Besides…" He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I can always keep you warm." Eri blushed bright red, and Tala took the opportunity to pull her outside and close the door behind them before she could utter another word.

Meanwhile, Tammy ducked into one of the bedrooms that had its door ajar. All of the good hiding places were already taken, so she was getting desperate. 'Hmm…must be Tyson's room,' she thought, noting how one side was trashed and the bed unmade. She heard Michelle yell, "Ready or not, here I come!" and frantically looked around for a good place to hide. 'Uh…the closet! Oh, that's so cliché. She'll figure it out soon enough.' She heard a set of footsteps quickly approaching. 'Oh crap…' She ducked into what she presumed was Hilary's closet, since it was tidy and actually had room to move around, and carefully shut the door.

"Hey." The voice behind Tammy made herspin around abruptly, but a firm hand clapped over her mouth before she could yelp and risk giving away their position. Bryan's face materialized in the darkness, and Tammy felt her heart speed up. He held one finger up to his mouth in a "be quiet" gesture and slowly removed his hand. "Looks like we both had the same idea," he whispered. Tammy's hand went for the door. "Where are you going?"

"To find a different hiding place. There's no need for her to catch both of us," Tammy lied, hoping Bryan bought her excuse. She still couldn't bring herself to face him since she was so unsure of her feelings toward him.

"Wait." Tammy gave Bryan a puzzled look and watched while his brow furrowed in concentration, like he was listening for the sound of someone approaching. After a few tense moments, he grabbed her arm and pulled her further back into the closet, behind the racks of clothes, where they both crouched down.

"W-what are you doing?" Tammy hissed. Bryan gave her a signal to hush as they heard Michelle enter the room, rummage around in Tyson's closet, and leave. Once she was gone, both teens let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. "Whoa, that was close."

"Yeah…too close," Bryan agreed.

Meanwhile…

_Make sure to thank Falborg for tipping me off to their location,_ Michelle told her bit beast.

_I shall remember to relay your message,_ Dramikun replied. _Do you think she'll stay there or attempt to leave in favor of a more desirable hideout?_

_Are you kidding? Neither one will dare leave now that they think I'm on to their hiding place. Now to find the others. We'll come back to those two reluctant lovebirds later,_ Michelle said. She caught a doorway leading outside out of the corner of her eye. _Hmmm…I wonder…_ Following her suspicions, Michelle opened the door leading out to the balcony. _Speaking of lovebirds…_ Tala was leaning against the outside wall of the lodge holding a shivering Eri in his arms. He had already been forced to give up his coat, but she was still freezing. "All right, get her inside before she dies of hypothermia," Michelle said while rolling her eyes.

"Thank…goodness…" Eri said through chattering teeth. Tala smirked, picked her up, and carried her back inside.

Back with Bryan and Tammy...

Bryan glanced at Tammy and felt his heart stick in his throat. He had to know how she felt and why she was avoiding him; if he didn't speak up now, he might not get another chance. "Tammy…" She hesitantly raised her head to look at him. She only just then registered how cramped this closet was… "I have to know. Why have you been avoiding me all day? Did I do something to hurt you?"

Tammy looked carefully into Bryan's eyes, peering into the emotions his lilac orbs held. They were begging, pleading her to tell him. "I…don't know why," she replied slowly. "I guess I just panicked. I was scared."

"Scared? How do I scare you?" Bryan asked worriedly. He hesitantly reached out and cupped her cheek with one hand. "If I've done something to frighten you, please tell me and I'll make sure it never happens again." The feel of his cool hand on her face was so soothing, and Tammy found herself closing her eyes and leaning into his touch.

"…It's nothing you did," Tammy whispered. "Ever since yesterday at the amusement park, whenever I look at you…I feel strange. I've never felt this way before, and I didn't know what to do or how to react. That's what scared me." She felt a lump rise in her throat as a tearpushed throughher closed eyelids, only to be rubbed away by Bryan's thumb. She opened her eyes and looked into his kind expression.

"You don't have to be scared of your emotions. They just prove that you're human. As for me, I've just discovered a new emotion as well." He paused before adding. "Maybe it's the same one you're feeling." Bryan took his hand from her cheek and shifted his position so he was kneeling on one knee. He took her hand, looked her straight in the eye, and said with all the sincerity and conviction he could muster, "Tammy Ivanov, I'm…in love with you."

Tammy didn't move. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't even breathe. Is this the emotion she was feeling towards Bryan? Her frantically beating heart…the butterflies in her stomach…her sweaty palms…it all made sense. Thinking back on all the memories she shared with him, she now realized that she couldn't bear to live the rest of her life without him by her side. After a few moments of silence, which felt like an eternity, Tammy finally managed to croak out, "I…love you too."

In that one moment, with those four beautiful words uttered by the one he loved more than life itself, Bryan felt like his heart had just found its missing half. He leaned in, placed his hand at the back of Tammy's head, and gently pressed his lips against hers. At first Tammy didn't know what to do, but instinct took over as she kissed him back. Soon that soft kiss turned into a heated, passionate one, with both lovers closing their eyes, each one lost in a world that contained only them. Bryan nibbled on Tammy's bottom lip, begging for entrance. She opened her mouth wider, allowing him to slip his tongue in. Tammy fell back against the wall of the closet, and Bryan straddled her hips while he deepened the kiss and pressed his body against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and simply relished the sensation of having him here with her. Nothing else mattered right now except him. **(A/N: For those of you who are thinking perverted thoughts, I'll just tell you right now that Tammy, like all of my female OCs, will remain a virgin until marriage.)**

Meanwhile…

_Do you think we've given them enough time?_ Dramikun asked.

_Nah…they just now confessed. We'll give them some more alone time,_ Michelle replied with a smirk as she passed the doorway to Tyson's room. _I can only imagine how Tala's gonna take this news._

End chapter 11

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Author's Note: Yay! They finally confessed! I'm so happy with how this one came out. Sorry for the long wait, but I have been so busy that this was the first quiet afternoon at home I could find to finish this chapter. I had to spend two nights with my grandparents, away from my computer and internet, to help my mom with my grandpa, who had just gotten out of a nursing home. Then I had martial arts two days and three hours of scuba yesterday, so I was wiped out. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I plan on finishing this story in the next couple of weeks before I leave for college. Thank you for your continued support, and please review! I want to know what you thought of this chapter! 


	12. Chapter 12: Tala's Long Day

Silvan Arrow: W00t! Bryan and Tammy are finally together!

Eri: Well it's about time! I was thinking you would never get around to writing that.

Silvan Arrow: Hey, I'm not as lazy as you give me credit for.

Eri: Pfft…yeah right.

Silvan Arrow: Okay then, if you're gonna have an attitude then you can do the disclaimer.

Eri: Fine, whatever. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Happy now?

Silvan Arrow: Not really, but I'll let it slide for now. While I give my main OC an attitude adjustment, here's chapter 12!

* * *

Chapter 12: Tala's Long Day

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

In Tammy and Bryan's room…

Tammy was aroused from a peaceful sleep by the sound of a shower running. She glanced to the other side of the bed and noticed that Bryan wasn't there. _Hey, Umbra, why's Bryan up so early?_

_According to Falborg, Bryan said something about needing a cold shower to make sure he didn't dream up everything that happened yesterday,_ Umbra replied with a slight chuckle.

Tammy sighed mentally. _Typical Bryan._ She heard the squeak of the faucet as the shower turned off, and she decided she might as well get up too. Bryan emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, a few minutes later to find Tammy looking through her closet for something to wear. She paused in her search to give Bryan a warm smile. "Good morning, Bry. You're up early."

Instead of replying, Bryan swept Tammy into his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. He still couldn't believe that she was finally his and that she loved him as much as he loved her. "I needed to make sure this was all real," he whispered against her lips before kissing her passionately.

When they finally had to part for air, Tammy said, "We still haven't told Tala yet. I wonder how he's gonna react."

Bryan smirked. "He'll either be happy for us…or he'll murder me using the most painful method possible." He paused before adding, "I really hope it's not the second choice."

In Tala and Eri's room…

Tala woke up as the first morning rays cast their gentle light through the bedroom window. He smiled at seeing Eri, who was still asleep with her back snuggled up to his chest. He had one arm around her waist while his head was pillowed on his other arm. He leaned over and kissed her neck to rouse her. "Morning, sleepyhead," he whispered in her ear. He smirked as he felt her shiver against his body and kissed a sensitive spot in the crook of her neck, where he knew she was ticklish. She didn't respond to his touch but just kept shivering. Tala's heart leaped in his throat when he heard her whimper softly. "…Eri? Eri?" he asked frantically. Was she having a nightmare? 'Something's definitely wrong,' he thought. He sat up and leaned over her so he could see her face. Eri's eyelids were squeezed shut, and her cheeks were flushed an unhealthy shade of red. Upon closer inspection, he could see that her face was drenched in a hot sweat. Hesitantly, Tala reached over with one hand and felt her forehead, only to jerk it away at feeling the intense heat from a fever. 'Oh no…' Eri's breathing was slightly labored as she tossed and turned in a futile effort to get comfortable. 'I wonder who's gonna kill me first,' Tala thought grimly. 'I am so dead.'

_What are you going to do, Tala?_ Wolborg asked.

_As much as I dread it, I'm gonna have to tell someone. I don't know much about treating fever, _Tala replied. _Michelle is so gonna kill me._

_Now you don't know that,_ Wolborg stated. _She may beat you up, and I'm sure Kai will get in a few punches, but I'm certain you'll live._

_You're no help…_

Twenty minutes later…

"BAKA! I can't believe you! Do you EVER use your head for once, or is it there for decoration?" Michelle ranted furiously at Tala. At the moment, Michelle, Kai, and Tala were standing by Eri's bed, where the blonde-haired teen was trying to figure out how to treat her best friend's sudden illnesswhile letting out her frustration on Tala. Kai was sending Tala a murderous death glare while cracking his knuckles threateningly. Tala would rather listen to Michelle's scolding, which he definitely deserved, than face his best friend when he was angry. "You should have known better than to drag her outside when it was dark and snowing! It had to have been below zero out there! Did you ever once stop to consider that it could make Eri sick?"

"…I gave her my jacket," Tala muttered, knowing that it was an extremely lame excuse. Still, it was all he had.

"Yeah, after making her stand outside without one for…oh…ten minutes!" Michelle exclaimed. "I thought you of all people would know better than that, having lived in Russia for so long."

"The cold never bothered her before…" Tala said, trying to defend himself. 'Rats…I sound so pathetic.'

"Well, that's because she had a coat on!" Michelle exclaimed indignantly. She felt like she was lecturing a five-year old. "Face it; she can't handle cold as well as a guy! Even Boris knew that much!" Tala winced at her last statement. Her words stung him just as much as a punch in the gut.

Michelle knew she had hit a sensitive spot when she mentioned Boris. Still, Tala needed a wake-up call. Just then, Michelle was distracted from her furious scolding by a familiar moan from the bed. Eri groaned as she opened her eyes slightly. "What's…going on?" she asked, her voice croaky and barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I'm sorry we woke you, buddy," Michelle said gently, adopting a much kinder tone toward her best friend. She sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "How do you feel?"

"Not…so…good," Eri replied, managing at least a half-smile for her friend's sake. However, she felt a lot worse than she wanted her friends to think. Her mouth was as dry as cotton, and her throat ached terribly. Any attempts to move only resulted in a wave of nausea. The fever made her face and body unbearably hot, but she couldn't stop shivering. The fever-induced delirium also made it hard to focus her vision clearly. Tala felt worse than scum seeing her in this condition.

"Eri…I…," Tala began, but he was cut off when a hand roughly grabbed him by the shirt collar. He looked up and met Kai's stormy glare. "Kai, what…"

"You've done enough for now," Kai stated coldly as he pulled Tala away from Eri's bedside. "Get your head on straight before you come back in here." With those final words, he shoved Tala out the door and slammed it shut in his face. He walked back over to join Michelle and noted Eri's shocked expression. "He just needs some time to sort some things out," Kai told her. Eri nodded somewhat reluctantly. Her throat hurt too much to talk for long.

"Yeah, right now we need to focus on getting you better," Michelle added. She stood up and said to Kai, "I'm gonna drive into town and pick up some medicine at the pharmacy. All we've got here is some Tylenol **(A/N: I don't own anything to do with Tylenol.)**, but it should tide her over until I get back."

"What do you need me to do?" Kai asked.

"Just try to get some fluids in her, and keep a damp cloth on her forehead to try and bring her fever down," she replied. Michelle sighed wearily. "She'll probably be in bed for a few days. What a drag."

Just then Eri's beyblade, which was sitting on the bedside table, started to glow, and Pyrix materialized before them. "Not to worry, Michelle. I can share my energy with Eri to help her body recover more quickly," she explained.

"You can do that?" Kai asked, one eyebrow quirked upward in question.

"Umbra did it for Tammy when she was in the hospital due to a self-inflicted knife wound **(A/N: See O Sister, Where Art Thou.)**. He taught me how it works." In answer to their questioning looks, she lay on the bed next to Eri and gently laid her head on her master's chest. Pyrix closed her eyes in concentration. "I can't heal her completely, but this should speed up her recovery."

"Well, it looks like she's in good hands. I'll be back soon," Michelle said. She gave Kai a quick peck on the lips and headed out the door, leaving him and Pyrix to tend to her sick friend. 'Get well soon, buddy.'

Meanwhile…

Tala sat in an overstuffed chair by the fireplace in the main room, lost in his own gloomy thoughts. Thanks to his stupidity, Eri was sick. 'She's probably gonna hate me now. First I let my sister down, and then I let my girlfriend down. What kind of miserable creature am I?' None of the other teens dared enter the room and disturb him. Coldness radiated from Tala so much that it was almost visible, and his icy death glare was enough to send Tyson scurrying for his life into the kitchen.

Tala was shaken out of his morbid thoughts by the sound of footsteps heading in his direction. He looked away from the flames dancing around the glowing embers to see Bryan sit down across from him in another chair. "Hmph…what do you want?" Tala asked coldly.

"I need to talk to you," Bryan stated, trying to keep his voice level and calm when inside he was scared half to death. "It's about Tammy." The mention of his sister immediately piqued Tala's interest, and his expression changed from stormy to curious.

"Go on," Tala prodded, sitting up straight and looking his teammate in the eye.

"Well…yesterday I confessed to Tammy that I love her, and she said that she loves me." Bryan tried to keep his nerves in check, but he couldn't stop himself from twiddling his thumbs when Tala's eyes bulged in surprise. Fortunately, the initial shock wore off, and Tala could form a proper reply.

Instead of the beating Bryan feared would follow, Tala gave him a small smile, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that. As much as I hate to say this, if someone were to steal my sister's heart, I would rather she choose someone I knew and trusted. Quite frankly, if I had to choose for her, I would probably pick you anyway. Heh…you must be special to her if she would tell you her past before confiding in her own brother."

Bryan couldn't believe how well Tala was taking this. "So…do I have your permission to continue dating her?"

Tala closed his eyes and nodded. "I give my permission, as well as my blessing." He chuckled softly, more to himself than anyone else. "Besides, it's not like I have much of a choice. Tammy would probably murder me if I tried to keep you two apart. She can be a bit of a hothead, so you'll definitely have your hands full. I hope you're aware of that."

Now it was Bryan's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, I've already observed that." A comfortable silence hung around the two friends for a few moments as they watched the fire and enjoyed its warmth. Finally Bryan stood up to leave. "Thanks, Tala…for everything." He turned to leave.

"Bryan." He stopped and turned to face his captain, who got up and approached him. "One last thing." Tala gripped his shoulder tightly and gave him a warning glare. "If I ever find out that you hurt her in any way, you won't like my reaction," he hissed quietly.

Bryan smirked and replied, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Tala."

"Good," Tala said with a nod. He clapped Bryan fondly on the back as the lilac-haired blader turned to leave. He sagged back into his chair with a heavy sigh. 'Well…that's one problem solved.' He was about to drift back into his depressed, self-abusive thoughts regarding his stupidity when he sensed someone else approaching. Tala sighed mentally. 'Great…who is it THIS time?'

_Uh…that would be your sister,_ Wolborg remarked.

That got Tala's attention. He looked up and met his sister's concerned gaze as she stood before him. He didn't know what to say. "Tammy…what…"

She cut him off, already knowing what he was thinking. "I heard about what happened to Eri," she said softly.

Tala sighed for the millionth time that day. "So I guess everyone knows what a loser I am now. You wanna give me a lecture too? I deserve it," he replied wearily.

"I didn't come here to lecture you. I came because I need to talk to you…you're my brother after all," Tammy said, kneeling down in front of him so they were at eye level. Tala looked at her expectantly, wanting her to continue. "I'm guessing Bryan already told you about…you know. About us dating?"

"Yeah, he just told me," Tala replied. "I think he's a good match for you. Besides, I trust that he won't do anything to hurt you. He'll treat you with respect."

Tammy smiled warmly at her twin. "You don't know how much that mean to me, especially coming from you."

Tala found himself smiling back for a moment, but then a question that had been nagging him popped back into his mind. "Can I ask you something?" Tammy waited for him to continue. "Why have you been avoiding me lately? I just get the feeling that you've been pushing me away. Have I done something to upset you?"

Tammy sighed and stood up, looking away. "It's nothing you did. I'm just not used to having so many caring people watching out for me, especially after so many years serving Biovolt. I just didn't know how to react, and my first instinct was to withdraw, even if it meant pushing away my own brother." She looked him in the eye with a serious expression. "Tala, all those years I didn't know where you were or even if you were alive, and then you just dropped back into my life without warning a few months ago. I had forgotten what it meant to have a family. I really don't want to push you away. Can you ever forgive me?"

Tala stood up and embraced his sister. "Of course, sis. If that's how you felt, you should have told me. You can tell me anything, and I'll always be there for you no matter what. That's my job as your brother. Will you give me that chance?"

Tammy nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah…I'll try. You're the best brother ever, Tala."

Later that evening…

Thanks to the constant care of Michelle, Kai, and Pyrix, Eri was feeling much better by the end of the day. Kai finally called off his death threats and let Tala back into the room to visit her. He and Michelle left the room to give the couple some privacy. Pyrix returned to her bit chip now that her job was finished. Tala had already sorted things out with Tammy and Bryan. Now he just needed to make matters right with Eri. He hesitantly walked up to her bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

"I'm feeling a lot better, thanks," Eri replied, but her tone of voice betrayed the awkwardness that hung between the two. She wanted to say something else, but she couldn't think of what exactly to say.

Finally Tala couldn't take it anymore. He dropped onto the edge of the bed, gently took Eri's hand, and said, "Eri, I'm so sorry. It's my fault you got sick. I was such an idiot and have no right to ask for your forgiveness." His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he held her gaze, pleading for her to understand.

Eri smiled kindly at him and replied, "You don't even need to ask. I forgive you." Tala looked at her in disbelief. She laughed softly and continued, "It's not your fault I got sick. I've probably just gotten less accustomed to cold weather after living in Japan for so long. I'll be fine by tomorrow, so stop beating yourself up about it, okay?"

Tala couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "I don't deserve someone as understanding as you," he whispered. He leaned over her until their faces were mere centimeters apart, but Eri brought up her hand to stop him.

"I don't want to risk giving you my cold," Eri whispered.

Tala didn't move away but instead smirked and replied, "I could care less about getting sick. I've missed you too much today." He gently moved her hand out of the way and kissed her softly on the lips. Eri returned and deepened the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands played with his hair. She had missed him too. When they finally pulled away for air, Tala crawled into the bed next to Eri and pulled her into his arms, letting her rest her head on his chest. "You should get some sleep," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Dr. Tala," Eri replied teasingly before letting sleep take over.

As Tala's eyelids started to droop, he thought, 'What a long day. At least it's finally over.' With those final thoughts, he let his eyes close in hopes that the next day would be different.

End chapter 12

* * *

Author's Note: Meh, I'm not sure how well this one came out. The whole Eri-getting-sick fiasco just suddenly hit me, and I decided to go with it. Poor Tala sure had a rough day, huh? I rather enjoyed writing the scene where Michelle and Kai chewed him out. But yeah…he didn't kill Bryan! Yay! I can't believe I've gotten over 90 reviews! My goal is at least 100 before I finish this story. Please review and tell me what you thought! Your opinion matters! 


	13. Chapter 13: And So It Ends

Silvan Arrow: Well, the time has come to once again end another fic.

Eri, Tammy, Clara, and Amy: WHAT?

Eri: You can't be serious!

Tammy: What about us?

Clara: We'll be unemployed!

Amy: Such is the fate of an OC…

Silvan Arrow: Oh please, you'll be fine. Any other authors can use you in their stories as long as they ask permission from me first. Besides, I'm about to go to college. I need to end this story so it's not looming over my head along with piles of schoolwork. And, on another note, I HAVE OVER 100 REVIEWS! This is the first story I've written that's gotten that many! You readers are the best ever! Ms. Controversy submitted the 100th review, and she didn't even sign in when she did so that I could reply and tell her! ARGH! Oh well, it's all good. So, my soon-to-be-unemployed-OCs, make yourselves useful one last time and do the disclaimer!

Eri, Tammy, Clara, and Amy: Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She owns us, and WE'RE OUT OF A JOB! WAAAAAAHHHHH!

Silvan Arrow: -sigh- While I arrange counseling for my distraught OCs, here's the last chapter! Argh...I can't do lines. Sorry, but I'll have to make do with dashes.

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Chapter 13: And So It Ends…

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Bit beast mind-chatting with master_

**People talking on cell phones**

"WE'RE HOME!" Eri, Tammy, Clara, and Amy chorused as they walked through the door of their house. After word got around that Bryan and Tammy were officially together, the gang hung around the lodge for a couple more days before finally deciding to call it quits and head back home. After all, the main objectives of the trip had been accomplished: the match-making was a total success, tensions settled down with the Blitzkrieg Boys, and everyone got to have fun spending time with their friends.

Tala rolled his eyes. He, Bryan, Spencer, and Ian were right behind them. "It's not like there's anyone inside waiting for us," he pointed out.

Eri turned around and gave her boyfriend a fake pouty face. "Sheesh, you're no fun. It's been…how long since we left?"

"Way too long," Amy said as she walked inside and dropped her bags on floor, closely followed by her teammates.

"But still, I think that little getaway was just the thing we needed," Clara added. She walked into the living room, flopped down on the couch, and kicked her shoes off. "And now we can relax."

"No, we can break out the cleaning supplies. There's an inch of dust on everything!" Tammy cut in, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Bryan wrapped his arms around her waist and begged, "You wouldn't really make us do all that work, would ya?"

Tammy pulled away and said, "Sweet-talking me isn't gonna work this time." She pointed a finger at the guys and said, "You ARE gonna help us clean and I WON'T tolerate any whining, understand?"

Ian looked up at Tala and asked, "Since when did she get the idea that she could boss us around? I thought that was Eri's job."

"Well, Tammy's so much better at it, so I thought I would give her that job," Eri replied with a smirk.

Spencer sighed in resignation, accepting his fate. "Where's the rubber gloves?"

Some days later…

"Hey, Tammy, come check this out!" Mariah called from a clothing rack in a store at the mall. She pulled out a pink sweater and held it up. "I think this would look great on you!"

Tammy paled and backed away. "There is no manner of torture you could devise that would make me wear THAT thing."

"Or how about this skirt?" Mariam asked, holding up the item in question.

"Are you guys trying to torture me to death? Cause it's working…" Tammy muttered. 'How did I get myself into this mess?' The Bladebreakers, along with Mariah, Mariam, Emily, and Hilary, had shown up this morning to "hang out," and the girls had suddenly decided to take her out shopping for the day. She was completely confused. 'Where are Eri, Amy, and Clara when I need them?'

_Uh...back at the house?_ Umbra suggested.

_I'm gonna kill them._ Umbra cringed and retreated from his master's enraged mind.

Meanwhile…

"So…what do you want to do next, Tala?" Max asked eagerly.

'That kid had better keep an eye on his blood sugar unless he wants to die young,' Tala thought. Instead, he muttered in response, "Go home." At present, he was walking down the sidewalk in town with Tyson, Kenny, Max, and Rei. He was about ready to hurl himself off a cliff.

"But it's too early to go home yet, Tala!" Tyson exclaimed. "Your buddies come to visit, and all you can think about is leaving?" He wrapped an arm around the older teen's shoulders. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. What's say we all go get something to eat?" The others nodded in agreement.

Tala sighed miserably. 'Someone just shoot me now. Kai, I don't know how you put up with them all the time.'

_But if someone shot you, I would be out of a job,_ Wolborg joked.

_I'll ignore that..._

Back at the house…

"Argh…I can't reach," Michelle muttered, trying and failing to tape a streamer across the top of the doorway. 'Curse my shortness.'

"Here, let me," Eri said with a smirk, coming up and taking the streamer from Michelle's hand and finishing the job. "Those extra six inches really come in handy for stuff like this."

"I hate you," Michelle muttered under her breath.

"Aw thanks, I'm so touched," Eri replied sarcastically. She and Michelle often picked on each other like that. "Anyway, I thought you were overseeing the food preparations. "

Michelle shrugged. "I had Clara cover for me for a few minutes so I could help finish decorating. Besides, Tyson's not here, so it's not like I have to stand guard over the food."

Eri chuckled. "I'm guessing you did that on purpose."

"Darn right I did!"

There conversation was interrupted when Kai poked his head in to get their attention. "We're almost done on the other end of the house. What about this side?"

"We're good to go," Michelle replied with a thumbs-up. "I just need to check on the food, and that's the last thing." She turned to Eri. "You might as well call and tell them to start heading back."

"Sure thing." Eri flipped open her cell phone and called Hilary first. After a moment, she picked up.

**Hello?**

"Hey, Hilary, it's Eri. We're all set on this end."

**Okay, thank goodness! Tammy's about to murder somebody over here!**

**WHOEVER THAT IS, TELL THEM THAT THEY ARE DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THEM!**

**Uh…I'd better go. See you soon!** Then she hung up.

Eri stared at her phone, blinked a couple of times, and thought, 'Maybe I should hire some bodyguards…' She called Rei next, hoping that the guys were faring somewhat better.

**Hey.**

"Everything's ready over here. How are you guys doing?"

**Well…Tyson's been getting on Tala's nerves, so he's been running away from Wolborg for about ten minutes now.** CRASH. **Oh crap…I'd better go. See ya!** He hung up abruptly.

_I don't know which one of them is worse: Tammy or Tala,_ Eri remarked to her bit beast.

_It's pretty obvious that they're related,_ Pyrix added dryly.

_Oh well. They'll get over it soon enough. Keep an eye out for the others._

_As you wish._

Fifteen minutes later…

_Eri, they're almost here._

_Okay, great. I'll tell the others._

With Tammy and Tala…

Both groups had met up on the way back to the house, and now they could see it just around the corner. Tammy and Tala were both fuming over all they had to go through so far, and, as far as they could tell, they had no idea why. When they got to the front door, Tala unlocked it and went inside, followed closely by his sister and the others who had accompanied them. But the twins quickly noticed that something was…different.

"Hey, why is it so dark in here?" Tammy asked.

"Beats me," Tala replied. "I…"

"SURPRISE!"

At that moment, the lights clicked on, and the rest of their teammates jumped out of hiding. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

Both twins stared wide-eyed at the scene before them. The whole house had been decorated with balloons, streamers, and other party stuff, the kitchen had been turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet of food, and a big pile of presents dominated the dining room table. Everyone who had come on the vacation was here now for the party. After a long silence, the twins finally asked, "…It's our birthday?"

"Wow, I can't believe you two actually forgot your 20th birthday," Eri stated in disbelief as she walked up to the two shocked redheads. "We had to get you out of the house for the day so the rest of us could decorate for a surprise party." She wrapped her arms around Tala's neck. "So…do you like it?"

Tala smiled warmly at Eri and replied, "I love it. Thank you." He kissed her softly on the lips.

Bryan wrapped his arms around Tammy and kissed her on the cheek. "What about you? Do you like it, or am I in trouble?" he teased.

"Oh, you're still in trouble, but I can let it slide this one time," Tammy replied with a smirk, giving him a peck on the lips.

"All right! Let's party!" Tyson cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

The festivities continued all day and long into the evening. By that time, things were starting to wind down as people dispersed to different sections of the house. Tala needed to get away from everyone for a few minutes, so he headed back to his bedroom for a little peace and quiet. Something had been weighing heavily on his mind for the past few days. He sagged down onto the edge of his bed and sighed heavily.

"For someone who's celebrating his 20th birthday, you sure don't look too happy." Tala jerked his head up to see who the intruder was.

"Oh, Kai. What do you want? Can't you see I wanna be alone?" Tala had forgotten to close his door and was now berating himself for his carelessness.

Kai leaned sideways against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "I wanted to find out what the heck was wrong with you."

Tala raised one eyebrow. "What made you think something was wrong?"

Kai shrugged. "You seemed a bit distracted during the party, and you kept sticking your hand in your pocket like you were afraid something inside it was gonna jump out. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Hmph. If you noticed that much, then surely you must at least have a guess."

Kai smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do." He pushed himself off the doorframe and took a couple of steps into the room. "You wanna propose to Eri, and you're getting cold feet."

Tala's hand subconsciously slipped into his pocket and closed around the small jewelry box inside. "Guess there's no fooling you. I think it would be easier to face Boris again than do this. And what's worse, I don't know how I can support her on my own. All my teammates and I know how to do is beyblade."

Kai said, "Then talk to Mr. Dickinson. Ever since Biovolt collapsed, he's been sponsoring your team. I'm sure the BBA will help you." He walked over to Tala and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget Tala: Eri loves you. She'll accept you no matter what. Now I'd suggest you grow a backbone and get this over with before it drives you crazy." Tala got up and walked out the door without another word. Kai smirked again. 'I had a feeling that would work.'

With Eri…

"Bye, guys! Thanks for coming!" Eri called from the front doorway as the rest of the Bladebreakers left. Michelle and Kai were spending the night and then leaving in the morning. She sagged against the doorframe. 'What a day. I'm wiped out.' She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder but quickly relaxed when she realized it was just Tala. "Hey, where'd you go? Everyone just left."

Instead of answering the question, Tala said, "Sorry about that. Can I…talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. What about?" Tala took her hand and led her upstairs and onto the balcony that was set in the middle of the hallway. There was something odd in his expression. "Is…something wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

Tala kept a hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "Eri, I love you more than anyone or anything. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do," Eri replied with a soft smile. "And I love you with all my heart."

"Then…would you consider being the one person I spend the rest of my life with?" Eri's eyes widened as she caught onto what he was getting at. Tala went down on one knee, pulled out a small black jewelry box from his pocket, and opened it to reveal an engagement ring. A diamond sat in the middle of a gold band, framed by a small garnet, Eri's birthstone, on either side. "Eri Andrea Kovano, will you marry me?" **(A/N: I just made up that middle name at the last minute. Sorry if it stinks.)**

At first Eri didn't know how to respond. Her mouth went dry, and her voice refused to cooperate. Afraid he was being rejected, Tala added, "We don't have to rush into this. I know we're both young, so we can wait as long as necessary. I…"

"Tala," Eri cut him off. He looked up and met her eyes, which were brimming with tears—tears of joy. "Nothing would make me happier than being your wife. Of course I'll marry you." A single tear slipped down Tala's face as he slipped the ring onto the ring finger of Eri's left hand. He stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace, never wanting to let go. Eri wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss that contained all the love she and Tala felt for each other while the full moon and an infinite number of stars smiled down upon the young couple. At last, after all these years, they could finally enjoy a happy ending.

Epilogue: Five Years Later

**DING-DONG**

A twenty-five year old man with fiery red hair stood up from the couch and went to the front door. He opened it up to reveal his twin sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law.

"Hey, bro. Sorry we're late," Tammy greeted her twin. She hugged Tala and pulled away so he could clap Bryan fondly on the shoulder.

"It's no problem," Tala replied. "Spencer and Clara got here a few minutes before you. Come on in." He stepped aside and let them into his and Eri's new house. They had been married for three years. It had also been three years since the Blitzkrieg Boys had split up to go their separate ways and pursue their own lives. Of course, that hadn't meant that their friendship had to end. Spencer had married Clara a year ago, Ian and Amy's wedding was a month away, and Bryan had proposed to Tammy just two weeks ago. Today, however, the whole team was getting together for a reunion.

Eri came over to greet Tammy and Bryan as well. She turned to Tala and said, "Michelle just called me. She says her son is doing well, and she's already talking to Kai about a second." Michelle and Kai got married soon after Eri and Tala, and they were the proud parents of a two-year-old son. Rei and Mariah were getting ready to celebrate their one-year anniversary, while Tyson and Max were engaged to Hilary and Mariam, respectively. Kenny was still surfing internet web sites for how to propose to Emily. "Everyone's waiting in the living room." The four adults made their way into the living room, where Ian, Amy, Spencer, and Clara were sitting. Eri sat next to Tala on the couch and leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Bryan and Tammy occupied the love seat. Ian and Amy sat on the other end of the couch, and Clara sat in Spencer's lap on a leather recliner. A comfortable silence settled around the small group.

"Ah, this is just like old times," Bryan finally said. Tala, Spencer, and Ian nodded in agreement.

"After growing up in the U.S. Abbey, I never would have imagined I'd end up here," Amy remarked.

"I'd say it's time we let the past stay in the past," Clara stated. "We can finally pursue our own lives without fear."

"I agree. It's time to let go and look to the future," Tammy added.

"Well, I'm no fortuneteller, but I do know one thing," Eri began. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"We'll always have each other."

The End

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Author's Note: I'M DONE! I'M DONE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M DONE! Wow, it's hard to believe I finally finished this story. At last, my trilogy is FINALLY complete! Whoa, when I first started writing When the Ice Melts, I never imagined it would turn into a full-fledged trilogy. In fact, I never even would have considered the possibility if it weren't for you wonderful readers and reviewers! I couldn't have come this far without your constant support. YOU GUYS ROCK! I'm glad I finished this story before I left for college, or else it never would have gotten done. Unfortunately, I won't be able to write that much while in college, but I'll still be here as a faithful reader and reviewer! Who knows, I may come up with a one-shot now and then if time and inspiration permit.

And now…I would like to thank everyone who has ever supported me with their reviews during my writing of this trilogy. The names aren't in any particular order cuz you all have a place in my heart.

But first, I must give an extra big thanks to Ms. Controversy for sticking with me since the very first chapter of When the Ice Melts and faithfully reviewing every chapter of each story in the trilogy. And…she submitted the 100th review for this story. THANK YOU A MILLION ZILLION TIMES!

Here is everyone who has submitted reviews for my trilogy, including the anonymous ones: Ms. Controversy, wolf of the snow, Hiruka-Rei's-Kitty, chocolateriku, hobo bob, PureBlackRaven, Fire Pheonix2, sapphire dragon, Rika Uchida, JusticeDream, Innocent Skyangel73, Tala's Number 1 Lover, emily-the-elemental, Ice, Karina, ZorraVixen10187798, Nicole Woodring, Phoenix from the flame 1978, naioka1992, Audra Kaiba, Rene Miashi, whyamidoingthis01, she-devil-16, american farmer, jovanni, Beeku, WalkingDeathWish, angelic elemental rose, Mina the Mischevious, Amanita Virosa, The Bunnies Will Kill Us All, Tsyetirye Vyetra, XxMookinexX, Musee.Picasso, Yurii Savinov, drakeamberblake, and Jazzy-Chan. Whew, quite a long list!

Once again, thanks to all of you for supporting me in my writing. Good-bye for now!


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